Bullying is Not a Game.

Laurie Flasko and Julie Christiansen co-wrote a book on bullying, and agreed to come on and discuss it.  What we hadn't realized going in was that the book was actually telling the story of Laurie's daughter, and this was the first time she had talked about it in front of an audience.  Her courage was inspiring. 

As any parent knows, or for that matter anyone who watches the news, bullying is a very serious problem with often very serious consequences.  And this was indeed the case for Laurie's daughter.

Poor Julie had lost her voice the day we taped, but she came anyway because she couldn't bear to miss the chance to help tell the story and to tell us parents out there, there is hope.  There are practical things that you can do to help your child if they are being bullied!  They refer to their book as a Parent's Survival Guide.

Laurie and Julie had their book launch on May 29th at White Oaks and Helene (our intrepid camera woman) and I went.  There were a lot of people there and I confess, neither of us was really sure what to expect, but a number of people from the authors themselves, to members of the community got up and spoke about how important this issue is.   Afterwards, Laurie's daughter herself got up and spoke and it was very emotional as she thanked those who got her through those painful years.    Laurie and Julie were gracious enough to sign our copy of the book before we left!  Thank you ladies for helping to spread awareness of a very serious issue. 

Follow the link below to find out more.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bullying-is-Not-a-Game-A-Parents-Survival-Guide/357588617605813

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Book Launch Reminder:  

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 at White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa at 7 p.m., and we hope you'll join us!

Laurie Flasko shares a powerful story of torment, trauma, and healing as she chronicles her daughter Amanda’s journey through bullying. From Amanda’s poignant first-hand account of her experiences with bullying in elementary school and Laurie’s perspective as a concerned mother, learn how bullying took a severe toll, resulting in years of chaos and a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In Bullying is Not a Game.

 We hope that this new book will serve as a practical guide for parents of bullied children, to show them that there is hope, and that recovery is possible. We stress that the parents are their child's best advocate, and provide a host of resources to help parents navigate the very muddy waters of bullying. This book is endorsed by Dr. Debra Pepler of York University who wrote the foreword. The book also includes submissions from Niagara Regional Police Services, the District School Board of Niagara, our local Distress Centre, and several community stakeholders and private practitioners who are concerned about the effects of bullying. 

We are holding the official launch of the book on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 at White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa at 7 p.m., and we hope you'll join us!