I confess. As a child, I was bullied on a fairly regular basis—sometimes physically, but usually a verbal attack—because I was always the “new kid.” My dad was a salesman and we relocated to where the work was. It wasn’t unusual for us to move on a yearly, sometimes bi-yearly, basis. Clearly, I was an easy target. But thanks to my family, and a few loyal friends, I survived pretty well. Personally, I try to use my life experiences as character builders, but I must admit that if I had the choice I would have skipped more than a few of them. They were quite painful, emotionally if not always …

I’ve included a new element in my “I’ve Got Character” workshops as of late—a quick tutorial on the difference between fact and fiction. As a screenwriter, I create characters with conflicts that help move the story forward—to convey a message of some sort. Usually, the conflict in question requires both a good guy and a bad guy. When I write scripts with kids in mind, the characters with less than perfect behavior provide a prime example of what not to do. I try and make the consequences of bad choices obvious. I look at it as an opportunity to get the audience thinking, while still being …

Life isn’t about what happens to you, it’s about how you respond to what happens to you. That’s what I’ve always told my kids. The concept became especially relevant when my son was being bullied. We’d gone through the various emotions a family encounters when raising a bullied child—denial, disbelief, anger, frustration and, finally, acceptance. We reported every incident respectfully and tried everything to get the other children to stop—with little success, at first. It was then we realized that we had to do whatever it took to help our son build the confidence and self-esteem he needed to…

When I first heard the term “zero tolerance” it was presented to me as a policy put in place to help kids, like my son, who were being bullied. I guess it sounded good at the time—it seemed school administrators were as outraged by the actions of a few select students as I was. But I soon came to view it as more of a problem than a solution. Over the years, some administrators have proudly told me their school followed a “zero tolerance policy.” They boasted that if bullying was reported, or an “incident” took place, they would take it very seriously. Again, it sounded good at the time. But …

In an ideal world, there should be no such thing as bullying. A child would be so supported and positive they would never feel the kind of hopelessness that causes anyone to take their own life. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. If we did, the parents of Phillip Parker, a student at Gordonsville High School, TN, would have spent past weeks planning his future instead of his funeral. On occasion, this column has inspired opposing commentary that expressed a “kids will be kids” attitude. Some have shared stories of bullying when they were kids and how it made everybody stronger. …

Most of us, at one time or another, have heard the phrase, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I’m not sure where it originated, but it’s usually a good rule to follow. Despite that fact, gossiping lives on. Actually, it’s been around forever. Throughout my childhood, I remember dealing with the drama of rumor and innuendo. Someone would say something about somebody and things would escalate until that someone got in trouble or the next hot topic took its place. On occasion, I was that topic. But the world was smaller then, and once I left school grounds I …

In my book series, I never mention bullying, despite the fact my goal is to reduce bullying behavior. Instead, I focus on developing character, making good choices, expressing feelings appropriately and creating a positive future. I did this because I believe if we empower our children, make them aware of their potential and encourage them to set goals that take them closer to their most incredible dream life, they’re less likely to choose negative behavior. I do a workshop based on my book I’ve Got Plans: A kid’s activity book for a fun-filled future. Basically, I take children through the …

At one point or another, most children come home from school with some kind of social conflict. It’s a natural part of growing up. Relationships can be tricky. But when a child is being bullied, the stakes are higher. That’s why it’s important to listen to our kids and provide them with the kind of support they’ll need to resolve problems before they escalate. When my son was in elementary school and experiencing significant bullying, we had difficulty communicating our needs and expectations. We were new at this. The school wasn’t very receptive, and sometimes I think they just didn’t know …