Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/892003
hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 19 fostercare.com 845-331-1815 Serving the Hudson Valley © 2017 KidsPeace. We respect our clients' privacy. The model(s) represented in this publication is (are) for illustrative purposes only and in no way represent or endorse KidsPeace. Foster Strength As a KidsPeace foster father, you can make all the di-erence in the life of a child. Storrs' daughter plays several team sports, which has helped her build confidence, but also helps keep her busy with other teens who are invested in the same positive behaviors. Of her daughter's team, she says "they know they need to work together for success. No one puts anyone down on the team." Marshall agrees that building confidence makes a difference in how a tween or teen handles bullying behavior. "I have taught my girls to handle themselves properly and with confidence. Confidence eliminates a lot of nonsense." Stand up for yourself Though Storrs' daughter has been lucky enough to avoid mean girls behavior through a good portion of her teen years, she has encountered some. The advice she gives her teen is to not let the situation fester. "Now that she's in high school we encourage her to stand up for herself and find out the truths behind the actions." She says recently her daughter had an issue with a girl in her group of friends. "Because she questioned her friends, and found out answers, things worked themselves out." Just walk away Sometimes the simplest way to deal with a mean girl is to simply walk away. Marshall says she has told her daughters to steer clear of such girls. "I teach the girls not to associate with mean girls." So far, she says, this has worked for them. "They ignore them and don't talk to them and walk away." Storrs, too, says she has taught her daughter to ignore the mean girls if talking to them doesn't work. "I always tell my daughter to be nice to people and if someone is mean to her, ask them why they're being mean, and not to take what they say to heart, move on." Dawn Green is a teacher and mom to two amazing boys who lives in Saugerties. She enjoys gnomes, Tempeh Reubens and getting lost in a book.