October 24, 2006 01:38 PM
Stop Bullying Now
Years ago, I worked for a huge, multi-national corporation. It was a great job, with great pay, and great benefits. But there was one great big problem: my boss was a bully. She didn't look like a bully--in fact, she was a petite, cute women in her fifties who you'd believe was probably quite pleasant if you just saw her. But once I got to know her, I was astounded. She would verbally abuse everyone in her midst, particularly her employees, to the point of intimidation. One of my peers once told me she felt "like a battered wife" in her presence. Although my former boss never crossed the line and physically abused anyone, she did plenty of damage to her employees with the emotional venom she spewed each day. It was one of the worst years of my life.
Some bullies, however, do cross that line, and initiate physical contact with their victims. And when a bully victimizes your child, well...there are no words for the anger and fear it can bring to your home.
Some facts about bullying, from the Stop Bullying Now! Web site, include:
- Studies show that between 15-25% of U.S. students are bullied with some frequency, while 15-20% report they bully others with some frequency.
- Young people who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights.
- Children who bully are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school. And 60% of boys who were bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24.
It's time to take back our schools and DO something. I am tired of seeing kids--mine and others--victimized. It's time to step in and HELP the bullies too--help them regain control of their own lives, and help them get on the right track before it's too late. Isn't that why we're all here? To help each other out, to take care of one another?
I wish the answers were easy. I wish there was a way to make all those kids who are being bullied feel better and safe. I wish I could say this is all hypothetical and not happening in my own family's life, but that would not be true. I just want to see it all end. And I have no idea how to do that.
