The most important lessons about citizenship kids learn first at home. If we are critical and not supportive of one another as parents then how can we expect our own children to be considerate of one another on or off line? At the end of the day, forgiveness and individual accountability are the formula for a peaceful society. (Thank you for demonstrating this Jesus). And we do not have peace in our society when we are judging others and excusing ourselves. If we are seeking control of others, but not leading with self-control, we are disturbing the peace.

My friend Lisa Ford Berry of Carmichael, California, knows intimately how the individual is attacked by the bully culture of the crowd in cyber-powered communities (texting and social media). The voice of the crowd also threatens the bystanders who remain silent or pile on for fear of being different and then targeted themselves. The target becomes so isolated it can feel like there is no escape, no hope, no future left, and no point to go on living.

 Return to original story, “The wisdom of being brave in a cyber-powered world“.

I wrote this story for my friend Lisa Ford Berry’s book, Be B.R.A.V.E  Say Something, Do Something, to address the cyber-powered bully culture our children endure today. She became an advocate to change the education culture after her son Michael took his own life in response to an intense cyberbully campaign arranged by an individual who started …

CyberParenting Topics on TheFish103.9FM Tuesdays returns January 8, 2013

In a cyber-powered world it is easy to believe we can “Google” everything we need to know.  This power to access information is very seductive, especially for young folks as discussed in a recent Birmingham Science City survey about where kids go for answers, and it isn’t parents and teachers.

But we don’t require a study to know this.  Do we?

The bigger question is: …

In this context of the global network culture amplifying all things changing and uncertain, the American Republic is a model of authority that empowers us to confront the bully, or the insecure side, which for the founding fathers was simply defined as tyranny.

This school year marks the implementation of State of California legislation, AB9, AB746 and AB1156, which updates the education code regarding sanctions against bullying. Who is the bully? — Sunday, October 14, 2012, 1PM in Roseville, at Barnes and Noble….

… “Whether it is meant this way or not, it feels like whatever you do or fail to do in high school determines the rest of your life,” said one class of 2010 Granite Bay senior who further explained that binge drinking and ecstasy are huge releases. “Students work hard and party hard,” declared this same teen…

…How we respond to stress is what we can control, especially when everything else is out of our control…

…Help your child with the ability to govern themselves, separate from the network and speak truth with mercy. That means sometimes you will agree to disagree with peers…

The beliefs to which our children are exposed tell them they are neither important, nor good enough unless they lower standards for personal security and surrender their inherent authority in the name of “freedom”…