Coming week, in the Parenting talk titled ‘Bullying Experience in Youth: Nature and Intervention,’ an expert will address parents of young children in the UAE on the misconception that bullying is common, thus a benign part of the child’s and/or adolescent’s experience.

Dr. Youngshin Kim who is a reputable Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, San Fransisco, will also explain how bullying adversely affects the development of all children who are involved with bullying both as the victims and perpetrators.

Victims may have social difficulties, school refusal, lowered self-esteem, depression, further peer rejection, suicidal ideations and behaviors.  On the other hand, bullies often have problems with further aggression in other settings including legal difficulties, disrupted interpersonal relationships, difficulty holding down jobs, self-esteem, and suicidal behaviors and ideations.

Therefore, parents are advised to keep a vigilant eye and observe their children while they are interacting with each other.

“It is also important to note that a child’s typical behaviors may change when they are stressed by adverse experiences such as bullying,” says Dr. Kim. “For example, a child may start having difficulty sleeping, stop talking and be more quiet than usual. The child may also look sad, or want to be alone.”

“A parent should also be concerned if their child’s school grades drop without any apparent reason, their child who previously liked going to school stops wanting to attend school, and/or the child experiences many unexplained somatic symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, and stomach aches,” she adds

Attendees of the parenting talks can expect to learn manifestation of bullying behaviors among children and adolescents, risk factors that increase bullying, emotional as well as psychiatric implications and ways of intervention and prevention.

Explaining the Foundation’s commitment to the creation of a positive future for the children of the UAE and to enrich their intellectual, social & psychological abilities, Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Nahyan, leader and patron of the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development program said, “Our Parenting talks are a key component of the elaborate Parenting Program dedicated to help parents of young children with best parenting practices tailored for the UAE and the Arab Gulf Region.”

She also announced the inception of dedicated children’s area where parents can leave their children while attending parenting talks. “The Children’s Workshop is a friendly, accessible, and inspiring art environment for children of ages up to 12 years old. They can participate in various art activities that are suitable for their age group conducted under the supervision of experienced facilitators,” she adds.

For those under the age of 2, not only will there be special caretakers but their personal nannies are also welcomed.

Hosted by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, in collaboration with Yale University, as a part of its Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program, the parenting talk will be held at the Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on January 26 and in Al Ain Municipality Auditorium on January 27 at 7pm.  Meanwhile, the Children’s workshop activities will run from 6:30pm to 8pm and in Studio 2 at Manarat Saadiyat. All sessions are free and open to the public. However, it is advised to pre-register by emailing at eduprogram@shf.ae especially if parents wish to drop their kids to the Children’s workshop.

Running successfully for the second year, the Parenting Program is comprised of a series of engaging parenting talks and classes offered by world leaders in Early Childhood Development, designed to support and empower parents and other caregivers of young children and to provide information on best practices that promote healthy outcomes for children.

The Parenting Talks, running till 18 May 2015 will also cover the following topics: ‘Becoming a parent’, and ‘Children, Parents and the Media: Friend or foe for families in the digital and wireless age’.