Anti-bullying campaigns have popped up throughout the country in recent years. Why? Plain and simple — it's because a growing number of children do not understand and/or respect limits. The word "no" has evolved into a string of other terms — "maybe", "we'll see", or more often (than not) "yes".

Kids are "getting their way" more than ever before.

Children are savvy and artful debaters, while parents are far more willing to compromise (especially in comparison to their own parents). Hence, children are increasingly accustomed to "getting their way"' if they are persistent enough. We live in a society in which aggressive behavior can translate to positive results. Why, then, are we surprised when kids take it to the level of physical or cyber aggressive actions in effort to achieve the same — essentially, getting their way.

There is a difference between something being "wrong" in opposed to "illegal".

More often than not, children do not understand the legal repercussions of bullying. The anti-bullying campaigns are excellent at teaching how to identify acts of bullying, but too often they neglect, as do 90% of all schools, the actual laws safeguarding these kinds of actions. When something is illegal, by definition, it falls under an act forbidden by law, especially criminal law. Hence, children may comprehend that bullying is wrong, but they have no idea that it is illegal and can lead to criminal charges or hefty fines. This is precisely why law needs to be taught to children, and thus, become an active layer of every school's agenda and curriculum.

By Allison Matulli, J.D. (aka Professor Ally)

Writer of the only children's collection teaching kids law one case at a time.

Visit www.allisonmatulli.com to learn more about Professor Ally’s dedication to educating kids about the law.