Something Made Me Very Angry Tonight!
I’m not perfect. Not even close really.
I have done things I am not proud of. Recently even.
I guess I’m lucky that my parents taught me the gift of humility and how to admit when I am wrong. This is something I hope to pass on to my kids as they grow older.
Another thing I want to pass along to them, is that bullying is not acceptable. Not in any way, shape or form. I want them to know that it’s not okay to bully someone and it’s equally not okay to get bullied themselves.
While surfing Twitter tonight, my friend and local radio DJ Katherine Dines posted a link from a young girl named Sarah.
I was curious, so I clicked on it and it led me to the video clip you are going to watch right now. Please watch it.
http://yfrog.com/7go3gmlclcauebxjgqcyzjuvz
That brings me to the part where I got Angry. And Sad. And Emotional. Then Angry again.
What kind of human being bullies a beautiful person like this? My mind is aching at the thought of what life must be like for Sarah and all the other kids who have to deal with this on a daily basis. Most of whom suffer in silence.
I don’t want to do the “Blame the Parents” thing for the bullies because I don’t know their situations, but as parents, we have to do a better job of educating our children on the effects of bullying and why it’s important for them to not behave that way.
Admittedly, I’m not up to date on the Bullying Awareness campaigns that are going on around the world. Possibly because I have very young children, possibly because before I found blogging and social media, I was fairly sheltered. Either way, this one touched me tonight and made me think about my son, who starts school next week.
What if it happens to him? I want him to be able to come to me if it does so I can deal with it and not have him suffer alone. Alternatively, I need him to know that it’s not acceptable to do this to others.
We can’t end this problem without brave people like Sarah, who have chosen to put themselves out there for the world to see what is going on and I applaud her for sharing her video.
So here’s my plan. I thought it would be cool if we all gave Sarah a follow on Twitter and let her know that she doesn’t have to suffer by herself anymore. You can find her at @LuckyElizabeth2 and I’m sure she’d love to hear from you!
I realize that’s it’s only one person but isn’t lifting one up better than none at all? No one deserves to be treated this way, no matter what their situation is. Let’s start tonight, with this one brave girl and see where it takes us!
Cheers!
OMG as the video went on I was having more and more of a hard time reading through my tears. People are so cruel in this world and it is totally unacceptable.
I went through this a lot when my oldest started school too, the constant worry, what if he gets bullied, what on earth will we do! He wears glasses, will the kids tease him, etc. and now my middle man is starting with delayed speach and a stutter. the worry never leaves. It’s so sick that kids get targeted like this, we need to make being a bullly un-cool!
Bullying is a real issue very true if everyone educates and watches their own kids that everyone has to be treated with respect despite the differences they have. If this is done by every parent we will not have to deal with this cruel issue.
It is unavoidable in the school system that it is starting at an early age in some form. It is hard to see this happening to anyone and it is heartbreaking.
TY for addressing the issue and trying to educate others.
thank you for posting. I had friends that were bullied in elementary school and high school – and it was hard to watch. At the time I felt that I couldn’t do anything to stop it, but now wish I had spoken up. Doing nothing doesn’t help – and doesn’t stop it from happening…..and sometimes doing nothing is just as bad
Thank you for sharing, giving her a follow right now. Bullying isn’t just “kids being kids” it’s cruel and needs to be stopped in our schools so that no more of this suffering happens. I’ve seen so many upsetting cases over the past couple of years especially…thank you for sharing this. It’s so important we all band together. No More Bullies!
Thanks so much for this post! Bullying is getting out of hand and although I don’t remember this type of bullying when I was in school, I’ve noticed it in my son’s school. He’ll be starting SK this year, and even in Junior Kindergarten, all of us parents knew who the bullies were in our kid’s classes, which is sad! No one should be humiliated or tortured, in any way like that by a bully, no matter what age or gender.
I don’t recall this type of bullying when I was a kid either and, just to put it out there and be honest, we do have to look at what is happening in the world of parenting these days. It’s not about blame, but more about a sign of the times. When I was a kid my friends grew up primarily in families where only one parent worked outside the home, or more often both parents farmed since I grew up in a rural setting, and the demands on parents aren’t the same as they are today. That’s not to say parenting was any easier but our lifestyles for the most part were pretty different 40 years ago than they are today. That’s also not an excuse for anything but with all the media attention given to bullying these days I don’t understand why we aren’t talking more about getting to the core of this problem and helping parents to stop it before it even starts.
Now off to share some love with Sarah.
Great post. I wrote about this topic last year, and seriously, I can’t handle the thought of any perfect, innocent child being bullied, especially when they’re in school. Bullies SUCK.
Oh boy, this made me cry. Thank you for sharing this bullying is not okay and I wish kids actually paid attention to their actions and how it affects the person they’re making fun of. This young lady is beautiful and has a new follower. 🙂
Bless you for sharing this…
Thanks for bringing up this subject Chris. There’s a whole bunch of folks who are leading the charge on anti-bullying and I think these voices are being heard.
Please be sure to follow @rugbyjones on Twitter. He will amaze you by showing how much can be accomplished!
Thanks for sharing. No words…
Thank you for sharing this! Sarah is such a beautiful person inside and out. Your post brought tears to my eyes.
WOW. I thank Gerry for introducing us on Twitter. I love your site and this post says it all.We are on the same team… actively trying to make a difference for kids who are bullied and teaching everyone how to lower the number of bullying events through teaching acceptance!
We say that we are not disabled, we are “dif-abled” and life is all about embracing our differences! We would love to give you and Sara copies of The “Tail” of Rugby Jones A Rascal’s Journey from Disability.
Bless you for what you are doing!! Together we can make a difference one child at a time!
Thanks for sharing. I’ll go and follow her now, and I think I’ll see if my teens can share and send a bit of happiness her way too. She’ll probably enjoy their tweets more than mine… 🙂
Such a sad reality for so many young people. The bullying was there when we were kids but less was done about it and since there was no internet you could at least escape at home. It wasn’t the constant barrage of harassment like now. Great post.
after watching this video i was very moved! what a strong young girl. I showed the video to my little girl and explained and read the words Sarah wrote. I wanted my daughter to know that there are some people out there that think it is funny to make fun of other people because of the way she looks. My daughter is young and going into Senior Kindergarten this year- and what better time to show her how sad this makes other people feel. Needless to say- she understood and had plenty to say in defense of Sarah (brought tears to my eyes too)
thank you for posting this= bullying must stop!
Tragic and painful. Bullying comes from an inherent fear of our own selves, sexuality, success….Causing someone else pain creates the illusion that they will suffer & not us. As a parent I know my children have compassion & empathy & I struggle when I see them experience children without those qualities. I am not perfect either, but children don’t start out behaving badly, they don’t grow up in a vacuum. Parents in my sense, are responsible & this job of parenting exhausts & overwhelms & is the most important thing we will ever do with our lives….help raise loved, secure, confident, caring beings.
It really is heart breaking. My wife and I have been ever vigilant about how we expect our kids to treat others. We have also worked very hard to instill an air of trust and support with our kids (that goes beyond normal mom/dad stuff) so they know it is ok to talk to us about anything. Anything at all.
Great blog dad! Done. Beautiful young woman.
Thank you for sharing from Canadian Mom.