Today was probably the only day that my boys did not fight with me about wearing a pink shirt to school.
Today, at their elementary school, all students were asked to wear pink in support of the school-wide stop bullying campaign. I really don’t remember bullying in school when I was growing up. It probably was there but maybe not as apparent? Either way, now it is in the spotlight. Children have died from people bullying them – that devastates me. How could children be so cruel??
Do you know what behaviors are categorized as bullying? They are:
- Teasing
- Talking about hurting someone
- Spreading rumors
- Leaving kids out of activities and games purposely
- Hitting or yelling at someone
Kids can be so cruel. My oldest son wanted to wear a tie to school for picture day. He looked so handsome! That evening, he told me that one of his classmates was making fun of him and his tie – telling him he was wearing a tuxedo. Besides the fact that this jerk of a kid has no idea what a tuxedo is, he has no right to make fun of N and his choice of dress. I seriously wanted to harm that kid…obviously, I would never, but he really hurt my son’s feelings.
I think it is so important to teach your children what bullying is and what to do if someone is bullying them or a friend. Make sure that they know it is unacceptable. If your child is bullied, they need to know how to handle the situation. They need to stand up to the bully and calmly say, “Stop”, or laugh and ignore the bully. Next step – tell the nearest adult.
There is so much information online about bullying from a parent’s perspective as well as for children. Here is a video that is a great tool to show your child:
PBS Kids Go’s website has great information for your kids to read – click HERE. It breaks down the different types of bullying – physical, verbal and relationship – all in context that your child will understand.
Take the time, if you haven’t already. Talk to your kids about bullying. Please 🙂
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