When kids are tormented by a bully, their life can change fast. Many smart, happy, family centered kids take a terrible turn because they are bullied to the point that they are afraid to talk about it. Sometimes they feel so alone and hopeless that they take their own life. It's sad and it's infuriating. Here are a few words about bullying from Dr. Phil. I hope you enjoy these clips and I hope you comment, sharing your experiences.
REUNION - my supernatural thriller is not just about school shootings. It's about a lot of issues including bullying. I am passionately opposed to bullying and have trained my 4 children that under no circumstance will I tolerate any level of that kind of behavior. They know that it is hurtful, and understand the damage it can cause to one's spirit. I hope you have talked with your kids or grandkids about bullying. If you want to watch the pain of this kind of behavior unravel in real time I'd suggest reading REUNION. And watch these videos. They are very informative.
Bullies come in all shapes and sizes from elementary students to parents to bosses to co-workers. The thing is, we all have our issues, but we need to work them out ourselves and stop taking our stress out on those around us. Then, we need to teach our children to respect and care about others.
I've only been in one fight in my entire life, with the exception of my brothers and friends, and that fight was with a bully. He made repeated threats to me and my brother. One day, in 1985, he stepped on my white jeans with dirty shoes and that was it. I had had enough. I let him know that I wasn't going to take his crap any more and I proceeded to get my butt kicked. Sure I had a black eye the next day, but he never bullied me again.
I don't tell you that because I was super brave or that I think fighting is the solution. I tell you that story, because I know how scary it is to have someone pushing me around and threatening me. I took that experience into writing Reunion and I hope it makes
a difference, somehow encouraging you to be aware and averse to Bullying at home at school and at work. BOOM!
What's your story? Do you have a bullying experience you'd like to share?
I have often said to others how glad I am to have graduated before facebook, myspace, and all the similar sites existed. This has made the bullying problem far worse, as kids have no filter when hiding behind a computer screen.
ReplyDeleteMy experiences were always verbal. I was never popular because I was not an athlete. Even though I enjoyed watching sports, the criticism I got for not being good at them turned me away for years.
By high school, I had become a rather nasty person. I had nothing nice to say about anyone - not in a bullying way, but in a "you people are the scum of the earth and I can't wait to get out of here" manner. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of - mainly cutting classes to avoid my peers. There was also a time when I purposely did something to get myself suspended, because it was the only way I could give myself a week away from the building I swore was hell. My parents still give me lip about that one.
As an adult, I still see bullying. It was very much present in every school I worked in. I wasn't targeted - not the way others were - but I was considered anti-social because I kept to myself. The thing is, certain administrators and teachers were just plain rude, and I couldn't be bothered. I guarantee they were the same people who bullied kids on the playground. It's a cycle, and sadly, some never grow out of it.
Thanks Paul. I wish more people recognized bullying in the work place
ReplyDeleteBullying sucks. Kids tried it on me in junior high, but I always fought back. I was always fiesty, so that made me less fun to pick on than other kids. I hated to see people pick on other kids. Just ain't right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting M Pax and RL. No one likes a bully. It has always amazed me that people don't gang up on bullies... clean their clocks and teach 'em a lesson. I guess fear is funny that way.
ReplyDeleteThis is a personal topic since I was bullied & pushed around 2nd through 11th grade. I had the whole spectrum from embarrassing pranks, private & public verbal attacks, & the occasional physical altercation. I suffered depression off and on as a teen, and I didn't regain confidence in myself until the last couple years. I've made it a point to teach my kids tolerance, friendship and absolutely NO bullying. I've also taught them to never tolerate it as a witness, because to me standing by while someone attacks another is as bad as being the attacker.
ReplyDeleteKimber
hi my name is meghan moran i am one of the creators of STAY Alive it is an anti suicide campeign we hope to help people know that they do matter and they can make a diffrence we hope we can keep people from commiting suicide i attempted it over 1 year ago and i can tell you i made the right choice in not going through with it here is the website it has a link to our facebook page and our twitter page pleez look at it and tell me what you think http://www.wix.com/meghanmoran18/stayalive
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