How To Stop A Bully.

Make a difference.

It’s a phrase that’s thrown around a lot. People vow to do it. People encourage others to do it. But what is it that can really “make a difference”?

Well according to a nationwide petition, signed by everyone from Johnny Depp & Meryl Streep to 37,450 Facebook users, the soon-to-be-released documentary, “Bully”, may be just the ticket.

“Bully” is a documentary that features three pre-teens/teens that are suffering through verbal and physical bullying, as well as the parents of two boys who committed bullying-related suicides. The documentary, distributed by The Weinstein Group with a release date of March 30, 2012, is a part of the larger “The Bully Project”.  It was written & produced by Lee Hirsch & Cynthia Lowen and directed by Lee Hirsch. It is meant to educate and prevent future bullying. However, as a result of an abundance of crass language, the film has been given an “R” rating. This bars its intended audience from seeing the documentary that was made to both help and educate them.

Many people are upset by this rating and a petition has even been started to lower the rating from “R” to “PG-13”. The petition has 437,832 signatures (as of noon on 3/20/12) and many petitioners even suggest the film should be required for viewing in Middle Schools and High Schools.

While reducing violence and bullying in our schools needs to be a national priority, is there a cost associated as well? Is it not also important to protect children from things like language, violence and self-harm if they are not being exposed to such issues in their own schools?  Is 11-years old too young to introduce topics such as suicide and sexuality?

In your opinion, should this documentary called “Bully” be given a PG-13 rating?

Wii Need To Get Kids Outside & Involved

A few years back, the Nintendo Wii was being touted as a great form of exercise, especially for kids who would rather play video games than head outside. The games, such as Wii Sports with bowling and boxing, appealed to most everyone from toddlers to adults. Nintendo recognized the success and continued to build upon it. Next was the birth of Dance Dance Revolution and Just Dance. Then came the Wii Fit and Xbox Kinect—these new console add-ons allowed you to take a yoga class or go skiing in your own living room. Indoor exercising had officially become a craze!

Now, the thing about a craze is that it could just taper off into what was once a fad or it could have long lasting effects on culture. This craze is one that we may need to say goodbye to for a variety of reasons. Besides the very obvious lack of fresh air, US researchers are now finding that these games do very little in the way of physical exertion. In fact, the games deemed active (such as Wii Sports and Dance Dance Revolution) result in no more physical activity than those thought of as passive (Mario Kart or Disney’s Sing It). Another issue that has been addressed by experts is the lack of learning experiences children have by getting outside and being part of a team. Kids Sports NSW owner Steve Gordon commented to Fox News, “With real sports you also need to learn how to work with your teammates and you learn the life skills and social skills of how to play in a team.”

So if your kids aren’t getting the benefits of fresh air, exercise or social skills, should you just delete your Mii and call it quits on your love affair with the Wii?

Well, maybe not yet! While it may be lacking in some areas, the Wii can still be a great way for your family to bond and a perfect rainy day boredom buster. The solution is to define the Wii as a fun game to play on the side and ensure that your kids are getting enough fresh air, exercise and exposure to teamwork with relying on Nintendo’s popular gaming system.