Dr. David Palframan says children experience more violence in their everyday lives than adults do. In the past year, violence in schools has continued to capture the attention of the public. From the recent shootings in high schools in California and Colorado to the case of the Cornwall-area youth who was charged with threatening his schoolmates, school violence is never far away from the public consciousness. One of the common threads in the news coverage of these incidents has been the issue of bullying in schools.
Bullying remains the principle explanation for what appears to be increased violence.
Dr. David Palframan, a child psychiatrist at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, explains how bullying can painfully affect children and actually deter them from wanting to attend school. He also explains that parents need to listen to their children more. Kids will often tell people if they are being bullied at school. Palframan outlines the importance of kids being social and having friends, and how children's emotions should be taken very seriously. We've heard a great deal about bullying in the news lately.