photo credit: kid-josh via photopin cc
Every week it seems like there’s an article or story about bullying. We’ve heard of young kids actually committing suicide because they were bullied so much. Recently we’ve even heard/read about bullying in the NFL. When I was growing up (a long time ago,) there were bullies but no cyber-bullying since we didn’t have the internet yet. I was personally teased and made fun of for being heavy and it did make me feel bad. If wasn’t something I shared with my parents or even friends, keeping my feelings to myself. But once I left school for the day, the bullying stopped. With the internet and social media, kids (and even adults) can be bullied 24/7.
I think this is a great article (thanks Jessica from kenneymyers.com) touching on what bullying is, how you can help your child who may be being bullied, and how to tell if your own child is a bully.
I thought it interesting that the recent NFL bullying case in the news (regarding the Miami Dolphins and Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin), had many comments from people saying Martin was a man and should “man-up.” Remember Karen Klein, who was the 68-year-old woman who was bullied on a school bus last year? In that case, people came to her defense and actually sent her money to go on a vacation. To me, that actually sends a poor message to young boys and male teens…girls/women shouldn’t be bullied while boys/men should “suck it up.” But that’s just my opinion.
I think the best way we can help our children is to be good examples. But I also realize that not every child comes from a home of good examples.
Bullying occurs on the playground, in grade schools, and all the way up to high school/college and even in the adult workforce. I do think that if we can reach and teach our children when they are young, what is and isn’t appropriate, they will be less likely to become bullies and better equipped to handle being bullied.
Again, thanks Jessica for sharing this article with us.
http://www.kenneymyers.com/blog/the-bullying-epidemic-what-you-and-your-children-need-to-know/