Bullying… How do we stop?
I was reading an online paper
today that had a short video attached.
It told the story of 3 girls sitting at a bus stop; two were bullying
one.
The interesting story line
attached was “What would you do?”
As the video played out, ( I
do not know if the girls, all middle school age, were actors and knew what the
intent of the video was, or if this was real) a variety of adults entered the
screen.
The setting was a bus stop,
and the three girls were sitting on a bench talking. Two of the three began to belittle, mock and
harass the third.
As adults came onto this
scene, it was interesting to watch what each chose to do, and if they chose to
intercede.
The adults ranged in age,
race, and gender. Most of them chose to
help.
What would you do?
I know I would choose to
help.
Kids can be mean, we all know
that, but to witness it happening, and choose not to intercede, is cowardly.
Kids need to know that they
matter.
As I was thinking about this
I can still remember being picked on by mean girls… I was in Junior High, and
it was hard.
The messages we receive from
other kids stick! All these years later, I can remember, where, when and who.
All of us can help.
What’s the answer?
We can’t be there to protect
our kids from instances like this, but we can arm them with ideas, and
strategies, on how to handle it.
We can demonstrate though our
behaviors, and actions how to treat others well.
Remember, actions always
speak louder than words.
Be an example.
Don’t be an adult bully…
Kids who witness bullying
from their parents, and who are bullied at home, repeat and practice what they
learn.
Here’s an idea; use the word
STOP as an acronym to give your kids simple and easy ways to make a difference!
S- SAY SOMETHING
T- TELL SOMONE
O- OBJECT LOUDLY TO WHAT YOU
SEE
P- PREVENTION--- DON’T
PARTICIPATE
Being bullied hurts… it hurts
in ways that can scar deeply. It leaves kids with low self-esteem that may take
years to work through.
When we choose to be part of
the solution and empower our kids we can make a difference…
Choose to help.
Teach your kids well.
Be part of the solution!
Until next time,
Pam
ALL 3 kids in the video are ACTORS. It is a social experiment designed to find out WHO would help if they see someone being bullied. Here is the link.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cambio.com/2015/10/23/anti-bullying-help-prevent/
Hi... thanks for the information!
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