Bullying, Life & Stuff with Rhonda Orr

One of the basic human needs is to feel as if we belong with others. That why intentionally being left out hurts so much. It causes deep damage, and the emotional wounds take a long time to heal. This week, we heard from a woman who’s friend has been shunned by her family and now seems to be spiraling out of control. What can she do to recover from this?

If your child is a bully, you may not know that unless or until someone tells you. Bullies don’t come with labels and they don’t have a certain look. If you are told that your kid is bullying others, you may be tempted to fall back on the parent’s favorite defensive phrase: Not MY kid. But if he or she really is a bully, there are things you can do to change that. This week, one surprised mom wrote us asking what to do about her daughter’s bullying behavior.

Bullying is on the rise, and rising along with it is suicide among its victims. But something else seems to be going up, too: Bully fatigue. Like so many other widespread problems, it seems that people are getting tired of hearing about bullying. They’ve become apathetic. That’s dangerous. This week, we heard from a teen whose cousin committed suicide after relentless bullying. She went to school officials with a parent, but nothing was done. What might have saved her?

One of the most common –and harmful—ways kids bully each other is over social media. That’s followed closely by texting.And when they do it, they usually list a litany of things the person being targeted could do … such as “go kill yourself.” Then the bully may typically end the message with J-K .. for just kidding. But J-K does not make it O-K. That’s what we said in this week’s column.

Whatever happened to gratitude? It’s in short supply among today’s kids, as are basic manners. A teacher writes to Rhonda and Dr. Cheri to ask what she can do, and Rhonda gives her some ideas n this show.

Is All-American Girl Barbie a bad influence for kids? Should she eat a cheeseburger or two and stop wearing those 6-inch heels? Do you care? Rhonda doesn’t and explains why Barbie dolls are not the threat to society some people accuse her of being.

When a woman’s decision to tell a co-worker, who turns out to be an “oversharer,” a few secrets, she begins to feel a little uncomfortable. Rhonda explains why some people overshare and offers some suggestions to stop it.

A girl whose older sister was bullied and told her parents, only to have her phone taken away, finds herself being bullied and is afraid to report it. Rhonda tells her why it’s important that she not let a bully steal her happiness

Teens often try different personas in their effort to find their individuality, but just as often, they end up in a group where all the members try to be the same. That's a parent's dilemma on this episode, and Rhonda gives her some suggestions to turn her son around.

Rhonda reads a letter from a woman who's constantly "one-upped" by her daughter-in-law.