the anti-bully: bully in a box

by mari

Bully in a Box - digital ebooks for your iPad and iPhone with a modern anti-bullying story

Bullying is one of those things that just shouldn’t happen. As a kid, I definitely had my run-ins with bullies, taunting, and name-calling. If you love art, learning, theater, and music in a small small town, things can be a little rough sometimes. OH yeah, and don’t even get me started on Phys. Ed. classes. Those are memories I don’t ever want to relive.

Bully in a Box from KNOCKinc Interactive on Vimeo.

Now, as a parent, I’m hyper-aware of the same things for my sweet little Birdie and for the kids she knows. I’ve always rooted for the underdog – thanks to my own background – and now I’m working hard to find ways to help nurture her big heart, forgiving nature, and open mind. When Bully in a Box reached out to me, I couldn’t wait to share their books with you. Each iBook features a kid with a specific issue, and an open ending that lets you and your child come up with solutions together. Katerina Faterina has issues with her weight, Stinky Stevie is having problems keeping clean, and Peter Pummeler is your classic bully. All of the books offer great talking points for kids and parents. The illustrations, created by design firm Treat and Company, are amazing too. In the end, these books don’t feel like a bad after school special, but a cool set of tools with engaging stories to tell.

I’m convinced that parents need to learn how to deal with bullying just as much as kids. When I was young, it seemed the best advice was “ignore it and it will go away”, or “they’re just jealous”. Both approaches, frankly, suck. The pro and con of Bully in a Box: they don’t spoon feed you the answers. I’d love to see them include a list of suggestions, and even a community forum, with advice and ideas for how to deal with lots of different situations. Because I need to see some new ideas as much as the kids do. I’m told it’s an addition they’re considering – let’s hope we’l find it on their site soon! You can find all three Bully in a Box books on their website.

So tell me, have you had to deal with bullies in your children’s lives? I would so love to hear your stories! Share them in the comments, and help us all start a fresh approach to this problem.

 

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Rebecca June 19, 2013 at 7:02 pm

This looks really cool, I’m going to show my Mom! I remember she wrote this post about bullying – http://bikbikroro.blogspot.sg/2011/07/on-bullies-and-parents.html I don’t know why some kids are mean, I guess there are lots of reasons. Sometimes I think its because their parents aren’t around or don’t care enough. I’m glad I’ve got my Mom to talk to!

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2 mari June 20, 2013 at 10:34 am

Wow, that’s a great read. I like hearing that talking to the teacher helped in your situation, I’ve always worred that could make things worse. Maybe it depends on the age of the kids involved. Thank you for sharing that!!

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