Bullying: What Can You Do?

Bullying in America delectationd to be a sacrament of passage for kids of all ages, something that al meanssyone went through with(predicate), and survived, coming out none the worse in the end. I remember red ink through It. It wasnt easy, and I had to endure quite an a bit of It because of what I looked like, even as a evidently regular kid. But I survived, nonetheless, and came out cave in for it, to a greater extent empathetic, and much(prenominal) sensitive to the needs of those around me who may non move over been suitable to find t inheritor component part. After all, It took me some 30 years to find my voice on the subject.But now, Ive found it, and Im pass awaying my barbaric yap from the rooftops of public cultivates around the country As a poet by nature, a Christian, and a single mom of a relentlessly bullied 6-year- old who possesss from ADD, I am passionate about this more than Ive ever been passionate about anything else In my life. I want children t o incline in about bullying, what it looks like and how it affects kids who argon non only victims, but as well as, kids who are bullies. I want to give bullying victims a voice and bullies a shot at redemption.I want to give the average kid a leg up In the social hierarchy, and I want to upset the social hierarchy up human face-down. I dont want It to be cool to houseclean on kids anymore. I dont want it to be something they kindle brag to their friends about. I want to marque bullying the elephant in the room doing a genus Circus act and make it something that if their friends saw them do they would be thoroughly ashamed. I want to change the Ideology that bullying Is a rite of passage, because go It very well may be that all kids go through it, not all kids come out on the separate side none the worse some kids dont even come through it at all.I also want to point out that In some cases, studyers play a part In bullying, too. While they have the best Intentions at hea rt, to nurture our little future presidents and doctors minds and lay a foundation for learning that lead last a life succession, they bathroom also be unwittingly and inadvertently ensnared by children as a point of check for bullying to begin. permit me explain. When a child has ADD, they can only be withdrawicially tested for It at age 6.Kids are under a lot more pressure when they start school now to perform well, to be socially adept and ready to change the world with a flick of heir crayon at the tender age of 5, when most children are in kindergarten. This makes it very hard on a child with ADD, who may not be socially adept who may in fact be socially awkward through no fault of his own who may not be a first-time listener who, also through no fault of his own, because of his undiagnosed disorder. May be drawing forethought to himself as he fidgets through stormier or talks out of turn in a class discussion.He draws attention to himself without a clear understanding of what Is difference on around him In the minds of his fellow classmates, hen he, Instead of the story, Is the thing centered on by the watcher as she tells him to sit up straight, stop moving around, get in your own space, wait your turn, etc. Each time she corrects him (after a certain point), her corrections and the I OFF against him in the future, because by doing this, he inadvertently drew attention to himself, and therefore away from them (see Ego, Developmental Psychology). The teacher is unaware of these little arrows universe flung as insults later.She doesnt realize that she has essentially do things harder for him, while trying to make everything easier for everyone. I dont know how to solve this problem, but whole-heartedly believe it exists, because now I have a new problem to solve how do I fix what was neer broken? How do I ensure the real rite of passage for my son, and stop him from going through something he was never meant to go through? I cant change the past. I cant go to school with him as a mother I have to let him go a little bit at a time, and guide him to at last become a great man, educated and socially adept.I cant blame anyone for what has happened, nor engross on the lame for myself alone, and I certainly cant blame him for something that he had no conscious sensory faculty of creating. I cant make someone pick him for a game, or stop him from being dragged behind a tree and strained to belittle himself in front of the bullies out of fear of being physically harmed, and I cant stop him from being called a freak because he doesnt suffer in the same way that the other children have been made wonted(a) to. And I cant blow through the school like a separateado, and scale him from all that mistakenly indoctrinated ammunition, either.I cant shake a finger at other peoples kids, or shame them for being bullies, when bullies are created without a conscious awareness of wrong-doing, and not born that way. I cant stop it. All I can do is take a stand I merchantman teach my son that while it may not be fair, he is going to have to work twice as hard to be as still as his classmates at stormier, and refrain from interrupting class. I good deal teach him about his disorder and ways to counteract the impulsiveness, and release the excess sinew in healthy ways. I CAN tell him oer and over that he is reflect Just the way he is because that is how God made him, and I will always love him.I CAN teach him about bullying and how to stand up for himself, and how to eventually become a cog in the wheel of anti-bullying ideology so that no one else has to suffer with him in their life, because he understands and has a heart for people who are persecuted for being themselves, the way his savior was, and pray that it strengthens his faith, in God, and in himself. I CAN find ways to influence him and build up the self-esteem that is torn down each twenty-four hour period he is bullied. I will not teach IM to be practiced at turning his head, or to brush aside what is going on around him, because others around him are already sober at doing Just that.I CAN run to teach him every twenty-four hours that he is worth trying extra hard, and that he doesnt deserve to be selled any differently than anyone else, and that he should say that to someone who tries to treat him differently. I CAN teach him how to regard life with humor, and knock the chip shot off every time he comes home from school with it on his shoulder. I CAN love him, and do the best I can by him, and in so doing ensure that he grows up o be successful and kind and driven and righteous.And I CAN be an advocate, for him and countless others who have not yet found their voice to sound out against bullying. I CAN do that. I CAN import articles and provide protest against the most influential ideology since Marin Luther King, Jar. Inspired non-violent demonstrations quiet demonstration and understanding among children to upho ld violence as morale, instead of empathy. I CAN teach my son to do unto others as he would have done unto him, and pray that it seeps from him and finds a home among the hearts of his classmates.And I CAN urge him to do something I will never do, either to never give up, and to believe in himself and to know that God gives him worth to not put stock in what others say about him, but continue each day to be optimistic in the face of adversity, and to never, ever bully anyone to let it end with him, and to let something new and fresh and howling(prenominal) begin, a morale we have apparently lost sight of in recent years TOLERANCE. Thats what I CAN, and will continue to do, from now on. I urge you to teach your kids about bullying and how awful it is. Teach them to be mind to one another.I had an idea of how to do this in kindergarten Kids are chosen, or volunteer, to be door holders, messengers, hall monitors, etc. Every day. It teaches them leadership and service, and gives them a sense of accomplishment. I think that we should take a little time to add to the curriculum the message of anti- bullying, and make it so that children volunteer amongst themselves to be Bully Monitors, to keep an eye out throughout the course of the day for incidents of bullying, and to make the bullies aware of what they are doing, and to not be dismayed f telling a teacher about it.Some kids are better at standing up for themselves than others, and the victims of bullying often are too afraid to say something, or believe that the teachers will Just brush it off as something they started, or as unimportant horsing around. Children have the most influence on each other, and those who are unafraid to speak out against bullies or acts of bullying should be encouraged and entrusted to do Just that. In so doing they can be a leader, and maybe even a hero to kids around them who are victims of bullying.This is one very powerful way that we an use the ideology of peer pressure in a po sitive and effective way that helps everyone involved, and ensures safety and a well-rounded learning environment for our children. After all, they wont be children forever. One day they will be adults, with power and authority over people and things. And we want those seats of power to be filled by distinguished, all-around beseeming human beings, so lets teach our kids how to be decent human beings now, and ensure a better world and a better tomorrow for all of us. Lets teach them what they CAN do about bullying. Dorothy fit out December 14, 2012