Blog
Bullying at School
February 24th, 2008
A community member’s daughter recently experienced bullying at school. Not cool. The funny thing about bullying is it is so far removed from the real world. Can you imagine someone at work telling you to hand over your lunch money or you’ll get a punch in the face? No. The bottom line is, as we grow older, it is easier to see why people bully: insecurities, jealousy, an embarrassing lack of intelligence…
I remembered one time at work, someone pulled a co-worker aside and told them I was stupid. Have you ever had a stupid person call you stupid before? You just don’t quite know how to take it. As hard as I tried, it still hurt my feelings. We all have to deal with situations like this sooner or later. My approach is usually to call people out on it. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on the topic. How do you tell your children to react to such behaviour?
Do you tell your child to fight fire with fire? Don’t hit first, but be ready with a good upper cut. Do you tell your child to “talk it out?” Let us know what you think!
February 24th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I remember this one time when Sarah ranted about how to respond to the person who called her stupid for about an hour. As you can tell it still is a sore subject with her! ROFL
February 25th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I know for a fact in Michigan, if your child is bullied and they defend themselves, they most certainly can and will be brought up on charges. The child courts in Michigan are full of such cases, and rather than deal with the actual problem they focus on why the local child detention center doesn’t have full beds. The Bay City Times ran that very article last week about the Saginaw Detention Center. Even though it’s wrong, we can’t tell our kids to defend themselves anymore, because it isn’t.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Honestly, as one who has been bullied, I’d have to tell them to stand up for themselves, and try to help them know how. If the school has a problem with that, they’ll be looking at an investigation by the board as to why they weren’t able to protect my child. Words don’t work against bullying kids. Unless assertion and strength are shown, it will only continue, and get worse.
Luckily, I have time to think about the best way to help them defend themselves. No kids just yet.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:46 am
I tell my kids that if someone hit them to first walk away. But if it continues then yes they have the right to defend themselves. Honestly I was kinda a bully in school only after being bullied myself. I started sticking up for myself and beat the crap out of my bully then I was left alone.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:12 am
I think that anyone who bullies does this in order to make themselves feel better. They have issues and need to hurt others in order to compensate. It’s terrible the way kids get bullied at school, and even adults in the work place. I worked for a company in the past and my supervisor was a bully (at least she tried to be). Fortunately I had other options and was able to quit that job and go back to a former job where they welcomed me with open arms. No amount of money is ever worth that kind of treatment. This Internet bullying is sick too - there are kids out there killing themselves because they are being bullied not only at school but on the Net. I urge them to talk to their parents!!!