The Sony released “Karate Kid” movie was the inspiration for our October 4 Monday night Twitter Party. But we didn’t just talk about how adorable Jaden Smith is in playing the main character. Our moms got into the real issues that his character, Dre Parker, deals with, including bullying and embracing different cultures.

What would you do if your kids were being bullied? How do you deal with teens who aren’t interested in family vacations anymore? What do you think about visiting other cultures? Thanks to all the participants who answered these tough questions. And if you missed out, don’t worry, here are the stories and advice our twitterers shared:

Were you ever bullied? What happened?

@lovemykeiki: I don’t recall ever being bullied…thankfully I haven’t experienced it with my kids- my son’s school is 0-tolerant of it!

@supermomcentral: Definitely- I was an “early bloomer” and one girl told the whole 5^th grade I was um, blooming! MORTIFICATION!

@TheDADvocate: Yes, I ended up having to fight. Got respect and friendship in the end. And community service.

Some bullying isn’t as obvious…

@StressFreeBaby: My bro totally bullied me—I just didn’t realize it. It made me tougher, but also made me aware with my kids.

Has your kid ever been bullied? How did you handle it?

@ciesla504: We have always told our kids they can come to us about ANYTHING! Good or bad.

@2sic2mooov: My daughter was bullied at high school AND work by the same person. I went RIGHT to the authorities. Never know these days.

@lovemykeiki: I’ve tried to teach my kids what to do if they see another child getting bullied.

Our twitterers gave great advice and insight about dealing with a bully….

@kimorlando: I remind my kids to breathe because I am reminding myself, too. Helps a lot.

@HazelDdirector: The only thing that makes a bully a bully is that the child is insecure of him or herself…

@mommyniri: You can’t control what people do to you, but you can control you how react.

TravelingMom with Teens @CindyRichards sez travel opened her kids’ hearts to what?

@ciesla504: New experiences and seeing things clearly and what is right in front of them.

In Karate Kid, the family traveled to China. How has travel made a difference in your family?

@CarissaRogers: Travel makes me happy. When mom is happy, well, you know the rest…

@kimorlando: Our family often travels to see more family that lives in a very different culture.

@LuxuryTravelMom: Taking my 10 year old to Rwanda opened his eyes to a world most kids can’t even imagine

@NdorphineAddict: My son was shocked that other kids didn’t know what a passport was and how many adults have never left the country.

@cuteculturechic: Favorite destinations are London, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon. I just got back from Alaska…beautiful!

In Karate Kid, Dre didn’t want to move to China. Some teens didn’t even want to vacay with family. How would you handle it?

@Eyeofaarthi: Would try to bring that teen’s friends so that they would also come…family and friends would be great.

@jillyrh: I would do what my parents did and insist that my teen go because I’m sure he would regret it if he didn’t

@ToughCookieMom: Teens like to feel empowered and like they have a say, so including them in the planning would help.

Great tips for getting the teens excited about travel!

@KarateKidMovie: Change can be tough in any capacity. We hope that all tweeps try to see the many opportunities in new situations.

How does travel make a different in someone’s world view?

@NdorphinAddict: Hard to have a world view when you’ve never been out of your environment.

@lisanoel03: I think seeing the world makes it more real.

@ciesla504: Travel makes a difference in someone’s world view- to see outside of your “bubble”.

@supermomcentral: I have a firm belief that travel opens up a person to accepting and appreciating differences and unique beauties.

Join us next Monday from 9-10 pm ET for another TravelingMom Monday Twitter part.

October 11 topic: Discovering America, in honor of Columbus Day.

Past Twitter Party Fun

Read the sometimes hilarious (don't miss the ideas for flight attendants uniforms if there were family-only sections on planes) recaps of our previous TravelingMom Monday Twitter parties:

September 27, 2010: Electronics on Vacation

September 20, 2010: Uber Fans

September 13, 2010: Packing Tips

September 6, 2010: Family-Only Sections on Planes

August 30, 2010: 3-Day Weekends

August 23, 2010: Back to School

August 16, 2010: Travel Rage

August 2, 2010: Cooking on Vacation

< Prev