That is fabulous advice. Unfortunately I am not socially that good.

But it is fabulous advice for someone that isn't shy!

HI:
I also have a 9 yrs. old who is very shy. I believe that Parenting Involvement could be a great alternative to help your child socially and stop bulling.

I am a to be a very active parent. At the beggining of class, I asked the teacher how I can help her or asked her to allow me to do activities in his class. * This is not always easy, but most of the teacher needs some kind of help.

Because of my active participation, most of the students told him that I am a great Mom. They then want to be with him too becaue children are children and want to be part of the action.
I plan craft, cultural and social activites during the entire year.

During my time in his classroom, I observed the chidlren and try to pick one or two, that I believe can be a good "fit" for him and his interest.

I try to contact the parents and develop a relationship with them.

In addition, I plan for outside activities where his classmates can come.

Children love go to movies and not many have experiences on goin to children museums, Zoo or even to the library.

Remember you need to take control of the situation. Make partnership with the school and other parents will be the key to have a sucessfull plan.

I hope to hear from you soon...Good luck!

"What is Gate?"

Answered by a Prayer Ministry Pastor whom I agree with:
"That is a very, very good question. I perceive the gate base on God's word and my own perspective as an entry way which we can open or close both in the natural world and in the spiritual. This is a basic, simple answer without going into it to deep. The scripture just came to me, we have been given the keys to the Kingdom. In Mat. 16:18-19 we read where Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to bind and to loose. We know that keys can lock or unlock gates. This would be a great topic to do a deep study in..."

I was thinking about you and your son on my way to pick up my kid. I forgot to mention, a real turning point for our son was joining Boy Scouts. Your son is a little young, but you might want to take him around to different BS troops to try and look for a match. I recommend you only join a church-based troop if you belong to that particular church. Ours for example is not based upon a particular church. Troops can vary so much, but you can talk to the adult Leader and find out how they run the troop. There are skills my son has learned in Scouting that he could not really learn anywhere else. It all depends of finding a troop where you and your son are comfortable. A good Scout leader tolerates no bullys, hazing, or cliques. The scout training teaches about bully's and offers techniques to deal with these and other issues. Additionally, since there are no girls, the guys can hang with their dads and learn without the whole girl/boy thing. The boys learn to accept each other and depend on each other. The focus on the program is responsibility. There is a focus on citizenship and helping others and our son is so much better with the kinds of kids that really annoyed him. Much more tolerant etc.. Our son has benefited so much. I think you need to be 11 or in 5th grade. But if you find a troop you like you can join the cubscout/weeblo troop that feeds into that group. Eagle Scouts in the troop offer great role models and often accompany the younger scouts on hikes and camp outs. They are really great guys. Scouting is not for everyone but when it works it is terrific. No where else do I see a program that stresses personal responsibility so consistantly and completely. We have kids who really struggle socially in our troop and they all find a place and have a chance to improve their skills within a supportive group. Schools don't really offer that type of practice, in my opinion and BS does it better.