September 26, 2012

Bullies

Bullies. Whether we were being bullied or doing the bullying, we all have a memory from our childhood involving a bully.

When Little Miss started preschool, one of the first questions I asked was if she could name the "bully" kid in her classroom. For the first year, she wasn't sure exactly what that meant. Last year, the definition became more clear to her. There was a bully in her classroom who bullied everyone, including the teachers, but not her. Why? I have absolutely no idea. (Maybe he heard she was from Brooklyn? That her daddy is a rapper? That her grandaddy has guns? Who knows.) She would tell me the tales of what the bully had done each day...and would end her story with an I'm glad he's not mean to me! I was too.

Now she's in the "big" school...with lots of bigger kids. I had the same fears that I had when she began preschool regarding bullies. What if someone picks on her? Will she know how to handle it? Will she tell her teacher? Last week, she came home with a bully tale from the playground. Apparently, a little boy came up to Little Miss and her gal-pals and attempted to bully them. I have yet to get the straights out of what said bully did exactly, but supposedly it ended with Little Miss smacking him, knocking him down and her best friend kicking him. The girls were caught by a teacher & reprimanded...until they explained to the teacher they were "handling a bully" situation. The teacher told them, for future reference, calling over a teacher would be the best way to handle a bully situation.
I was proud that Little Miss handled her own against a bully...even if she did handle it to the extreme. (She's her father's daughter...what can I say?)

The scary thing about bullies is that with social media- they now have a voice like never before. No matter what age you are...if you piss someone off- look the wrong way or just simply, aren't friends with this-one or that-one...cyber bullies will be all over you. They'll so bravely write about you from their homes...hiding behind their computers. (Sometimes without even saying your name.) I can laugh at this...because I'm a grown up. But I can absolutely see how so many young teens have been pushed over the edge by cyber bullies. It is SO sad.

Teach your kiddos to be kind...lend a helping hand...smile at their school mates. And I will try to teach mine not to smack the next bully who walks her way...;-)

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