A 10 year old girl killed herself because of bullying.
http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=310257&shr=addthis
I heard about this story today, and as much as hearing about the gay teen suicides hurt, this one struck me. This girl was only TEN YEARS OLD.
I want every single one of you, parent or not, to talk to your kids or kids you know about bullying. Seriously. And I don't mean the "if someone is bullying you come and tell me or your teacher" or the "if someone hits you hit you back" BS. A REAL CONVERSATION with them: what do you think bullying is? do you ever act that way? does anyone act that way toward you? do you know anyone that shows those behaviors? do you think it's okay? why or why not? what are you going to do if you see that behavior?
We need to be teaching our children that respect for others is a basic human right. We, as parents, should be modeling that respect. Our job is to ensure our children are safe and happy, and to listen to them if they are not. If you are having conversations with them and are not sure if they are listening, reach out to their teachers, the principal, your child's friends and their parents. Bullying can come in many shapes and forms. Any kind of name calling, poking fun at someone because there is something "different" about them or further threatening or aggressive behavior, no matter the means nor if it is done "all in fun," is bullying.
For more information or to get help with bullying, go here.
It doesn't matter how old kids are. This conversation needs to happen on a regular basis. My son is only 3-1/2 and I plan on talking to him about bullying tomorrow. What about you? What are you going to do?
