When Will It Stop?

The anti-bullying movement has been on a crusade since 1999 to eliminate mean behavior among students. We have been talking about bullying and ways to stop it for a very long time. Schools are asked to protect our children from bullies, and most of them make a concentrated effort to ensure it doesn’t happen. However, here we are more than a decade later with our children still being terrorized by classroom bullies.

The bullying today is far worse than 20-30 years ago. With online access they are able to target other children through social media, and most have phones which they use to send threatening text messages. The simple name calling that used to take place has been replaced with a brutal onslaught of ridicule and hatred where dozens, and sometimes hundreds of others join in. The worst case scenario from this can be a child being pushed to the point where they believe suicide is the only way out.

Of course, much of this would not take place if parents and other adults in our children’s lives would be more vigilant about watching for this behavior. We must be better about monitoring what our children are doing and saying, and educating them about why it is not acceptable to bully. The verbal assaults can be just as detrimental as a physical assault on another child. They also need to know that if anything happens to another child because of their bullying they can be held accountable.

The scars left from being bullied as a child will last a lifetime, and can also produce an adult that is a bully. The old saying of "actions speak louder than words" is very appropriate to this situation. Unfortunately, some children do learn bullying from the adults in their lives. If they see this behavior every day, or are the recipient of bullying at home, then they in turn will do the same to others. 

We need to do a better job of showing children how to treat one another. If we do not speak to one another, and to our children, with kindness and respect - if we bully one another - then we can expect nothing different from them. We need to encourage them to turn away from the negative images around them and to focus on the positive. There are so many great role models for them to emulate and wonderful opportunities that they can learn from that will not only educate them, but perhaps propel them to great things in adulthood. Imagine what that will do for their self-esteem, and for the world they live in.

What kind of message do you want to give to our children? What can you do to stop the bullying?