Bullies

READY… “When people hurt you over and over, think of them like sand paper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless.” ~ Chris Colfer

AIM…  I understand that October is national anti-bullying month.  I know bullying has become a major issue in the school systems, especially since kids have almost unlimited access to social media. Social media provides a place where their identities are protected from behind a screen. It’s a lot easier to hurl insults and accusations when you don’t have to see the other person face to face.  The truth is that bullies have existed from the dawn of time.  It’s almost a survival of the fittest situation.  However, it’s not ok; it’s never been ok. Sooner or later we, as parents and community members, have to stand up for what’s right and put an end to this dangerous behavior. 

Most folks will argue that the crackdown has to come from home; specifically from the parents.  Well, with broken families and one parent trying to do the job of two, it’s difficult to love and punish with purpose.  I say that is no excuse. That is just a challenge; you can make it work regardless if you have two parents or not.  It’s whether you CHOOSE to reinforce the good morals of kindness, love and honor in your home and outside of your home.  Sadly, the honor of the family name doesn’t mean what it used to.  Kids don’t understand the amount of trouble they can get in and how it will affect the family name and reputation.  There’s so much negativity in our world that most of those inappropriate actions go unaddressed or overlooked.  It’s not until that innocent young girl or awkward teen-age boy comes home and tries to hurt themselves that our society takes notice—and starts to lay blame.

You are a responsible human being with good moral character and integrity, and I challenge you to take care of the people around you.  Bullying isn’t just for kids anymore.  Social media has become a springboard for inappropriate messages and information from all ages.  We must take responsibility to stop bullying.  We must be sure we aren’t contributing to the problem; ignoring what is being posted online is condoning it. Be mindful of your texts and social media comments.  Watch your words in conversations; they become your destiny.  If you wouldn’t want someone else speaking to you in a specific tone or with certain phrases, don’t use them yourself.  Be on the lookout for young men and women who may be in need of a trustworthy adult to confide in or provide direction for help.  It’s time for each one of us to take action against bullies.  Yes, in the long run, most of us have turned out to become amazing people despite our own bullying stories.  However, we can’t risk the chance that just one human being slips through the cracks and falls off the radar due to a lack of awareness or fear of getting involved.

FIRE!   Talk to a young person today.  Ask him about his day; who he hangs out with and what his friends are like.  Be interested in the things he is doing.  Check up on his electronic media and be aware of who he is chatting with online.  (If your kids object, tell them it is your responsibility as a parent to ensure that that they are being socially responsible.) Believe me; you’ll be doing him and yourself a favor in the long run.

Be Excellent!

Lori

School Rocks

READY… “Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” ~ John W. Gardner

AIM… How many of you remember the School House Rocks jingles that were played on Saturday mornings in-between our favorite cartoons? You know the ones like “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?” How about “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly get your adverbs here” or “I’m just a bill.” I have to be honest; I loved those little jingles and can still sing most of the choruses to them. Even though, at the time, I probably had no idea I was learning valuable lessons, I realize now what a brilliant idea it was to show those School House Rocks commercials during kid TV time because I really DID learn something.

Too bad our children’s TV time doesn’t have those great little songs or educational commercials. Now during commercial time, our kids get to learn about the best dating websites, finding their perfect soul mate, what type of medications to take for depression and the glories of male enhancement drugs. Wow, aren’t they lucky! Wonder if they’ll grow to be thankful that they really learned something during those commercial breaks? Even if we are diligent about the shows are children watch, it’s hard to censor family television time due to all the questionable advertising attacks.

The truth of the matter is, regardless what your children watch on TV, it’s up to you, their parents, to really teach your children what they need to know. Yes, they are required to go to school to learn the basics of education. However, the schools are not required to teach your children common sense, or about making good decisions and how to grow up with morals. It is not the teacher’s job to instruct your children in the ways of good manners, how to treat other boys and girls, and sexual responsibility. It’s time that we, their parents, realize that the best teachers in the world are the ones our children look at every single day when they wake up and right before they go to sleep. It’s time to take responsibility for making sure our children know how to behave in public, how to treat other people with respect and how to become responsible young people. If WE aren’t setting a good example, then how can we expect them to grow up and be any different? Remember, school does rock, but great parents blow the socks off school any day!

FIRE! Take time to talk to your child this week. Don’t just ask him about his day, ask direct questions about how he gets along with the other students and what he’s most excited about or what he’s most afraid of this year. Be encouraging and use your time together as a teachable moment for both of you to learn something new.

Be Excellent!
Lori