Bill O'Reilly's Advice For Kids

What does talk show host Bill O'Reilly have in common with the average teen? Lots of opinions and a willingness to share them.

In his latest book, "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids" he offers frank and honest advice for handling the stress of being a kid today.

"I wrote this in the voice of a teenager. I'm not lecturing them," O'Reilly tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "It has a different tone because, No.1, I tell them how stupid I was. What I did when I was a kid. I was really the dumbest kid in the world, there's no question. Also, I deal with things that are very intense, like cyber-bullying."

Cyber-Bullying
O'Reilly says that cyber-bullying is happening more frequently and we have to teach our kids how to handle it.

"Where I live in Long Island, they took a survey. Eighty-three percent of all teens know somebody who has been bullied or have been bullied themselves, 83 percent. The schools are cowardly, most of them. Teachers and administrators won't get involved because they say it's off campus," O'Reilly says. "But it is happening there, the kids doing the cyber bullying, like Jane is a slut, and Jane doesn't have any idea what's going on. They'll make up stuff about her and everybody is laughing at her."

O'Reilly says cyber-bulling can ruin a kid's life because their self-image is everything. With his book, he hopes to empower them.

"Kids are Americans, too. Kids have rights, too," he says. "And if somebody slanders you, you can sue them. If you're a kid and somebody does it, the code is: don't say anything; don't be a snitch. It's the same thing as if you're being abused. Kids have to know they're Americans and you have rights.

"If somebody is abusing you, you stop it right away. You don't deal with it on your own or suffer in silence."

He says that if kids are being abused in this manner they shouldn't suffer in silence — they should tell an authority figure.

"It can be a school counselor or a parent. Somebody you trust," he says. "But the kid has to be taught to take action now! That's against your rights as an American. If you tell children, you're an American, too. You're entitled to constitutional protections, too. Just because you're young doesn't mean somebody can kick your head in. Then they start to be assertive and that's what you need."

Politics:
On the subject of politics, he says that the way teen see it, it is about "Boring old people lying to you." He says teens don't know who Tom Delay or Bill Frist is, so to get them interested in the political process he offers parents the following advice:

"If you try to make them read 'The New York Times' or 'The Wall Street Journal,' that's not going to happen," he says. "What you do is, basically, as a parent say: Look, you're an American. We live in the United States. Get them a map. Say, here it is. Here's the United States. And you are a part of the country. Therefore, you have a responsibility to the country. And the kid is going to go, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' You know how it is. You can say, 'This is why we don't commit crimes. This is why we don't steal or set people on fire, because we're all in this together.' And try to get a sense of pride. Then, on the Fourth of July and on Memorial Day, take them to the war movies, where there's action, especially boys like that. Or the girls, you can take them to a movie that Mel Gibson is in like the revolutionary war movie and then discuss it, make it real to them."

Helping Others:
O'Reilly says that this is the job of the parent to teach. "You tell your kid that this is in the schedule," he says. "We're helping someone and this is the reason." He says parents need to set the example.

Work:
O'Reilly is adamant that parents teach their kids the value of work. "It's not hard to teach kids about work if you're around to supervise it," he says. "Parents need to set the day for the kids. You set a time of day for work — school work, yard work or a project, and you do it. This is work and you do it. But the weekend is all play for kids. We need to teach them a balance in life. It's the parents' responsibility to lay that out for kids — this is work, this is play."

Money:
Where do kids go wrong with money? "Kids expect money to be given to them for nothing," O'Reilly says. "Kids want money and, as adults, it's our job to teach them about commerce. You want money? Make your bed, do your chores."

Click here to read an excerpt from his book, which O'Reilly says is the best-selling children's book in 2005.