* Bullying includes a wide variety of behaviors, but all involve a person or a group repeatedly trying to harm someone who is weaker or more vulnerable. It can involve direct attacks (such as hitting, threatening or intimidating, maliciously teasing and taunting, name-calling, making sexual remarks, and stealing or damaging belongings) or more subtle, indirect attacks (such as spreading rumors or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone).
* Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves.
What a terrible commentary of our youth today...even sadder is that parents are allowing this behavior to occur. I often ask myself why bullying is becoming more common and I have to wonder sometimes if it may have to do with the staggering amount of parents that have to work outside the home or even two jobs just to make ends meet? I think mostly is is a combination of factors and working parents are simply one example.
Take myself for example...I work out of my home to ensure that my two youngest children have a firm foundation of what is right and what is wrong. Trust me, I'm not by any means saying that parents working outside the home are all wrong but what about those working parents that are aware of their bullying child but choose to ignore this behavior and hope it will go away or just get to wrapped up in their own needs and wants, leaving their child to do as he/she wishes?
I am having this issue right now... my former roommate's 13 year old daughter has been singling out my eight year old. How many written complaints...how many calls to the local authorities (before my child gets seriously injured) is it going to take to stop this problem? Why is it that this parent has chosen to let this child get away with such deplorable behavior and sometimes even condoned it...? Even more sad, when did parents start acting the same age as their bullying child?
Ok, I'm stepping off my soapbox for now. I truly hope all the parents out there will sit down with their children and let them know that this is unacceptable and no one should have to live in fear. To learn more about this topic and how to prevent it please visit Talk About It, a terrific website!
3 comments:
Hiya Liz! I work in a nursery attached to a school with the playground next to ours. Sometimes I look across to the school playground when I am out with the children and see bullying happening. It is horrible. I emmediately put a stop to it and complain to the nearest teacher. I dont know if anything gets done about it. They kind of roll their eyes at me. I feel so sorry for anyone getting bullied, adults included, and will do anything to try and stop it! Great post Liz! I hope your eight year old is keeping ok, I want to give them a great big hug! So here is a ((hug)) for you and pass it on to them!
This is a problem that doesn't seem to be going away. Even when the schools have a no-bullying policy, kids don't really seem to care. And to be honest, I think it's the girls that are the worst!
My neice told me the other day that some girl wants to beat her up, just because she's friends with another girl! It's hard for me to not go over there and slap these kids stupid, to be honest - but my neice had reported the girl to the school and so it's being taken care of. Hopefully. Goddess knows what I'd do if someone hurt her - and she's not even my child!
Having a son with autism, who is significantly developmentally delayed, as well as speech delayed...well, it's always in the back of my head he's a prime target for bullies.
Makes me want to pull him out of the public system and homeschool.
I'm sorry to hear your son is going through this. My son with be 8 in March.
)O(
boo
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