BULLYING

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT BULLYING. Bullying is wrong. Kids say mean things. Kids pick on kids. What bothers one kid another kid can ignore. American kids have a sense of entitlement (everyone is a winner, I am a winner & thus I am better than everyone so everyone needs to kowtow to me, no one has the right to tell me what to do, I know whats best, etc) . 95% of bullying is witnessed. 75% of bullying is witnessed by adults. Boys bully. Girls bully. Parents bully. Siblings bully. Coaches bully. Police bully. Clergy bully. Etc. Junior High kids think if someone looks at them they don't like them (this is a fact). Bullying is NOT a new phenomenon. I was bullied. I don't remember doing it but I was a kid so I can guess I bullied. I'm glad that when my children were bullied they felt ok about talking to their dad and I. It breaks my heart when I see kids being mean to kids. I'm sadder when I see adults bullying kids. As a special education teacher I've spent many hours trying to help my language disordered kids understand that what people say isn't ALWAYS meant to dis them. e.g. "Hey, throw the ball to first." or "Pick up the bat." or "Go get your coat on." or "Don't forget your homework." (All of the afore mentioned quotes were thought as bullying by students I had. I witnessed all but one of these being said. I didn't hear the teacher tell the student to remember their homework.) Some of the people who complain about bullying I've witnessed bullying when they thought no on was listening. You're wrong bullies, we know. DOES EVERYONE KNOW THAT WHEN YOU TRY TO EXTINGUISH A BEHAVIOR THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS IT INCREASES RAPIDLY AND EXTREMELY? These are just a few thoughts. Love one another.

 

Another little factoid= Several factors increase the risk of a child being bullied, including parental over-control, illness or disability, passivity, social phobia, agoraphobia, and higher levels and expression of general anxiety.