Last Wednesday, people across Canada
I found this Pink Shirt Day rather ironic since my daughter was teased last year for wearing a pink shirt to school. They called her a girly-girl and a goody-goody. They told her where she could or couldn’t sit and whispered secrets about her. She was too sweet and shocked to stick up for herself, so the emotional bullying began.
Some might argue that this wasn’t real bullying because she wasn’t hurt physically. However, bullying is defined as “an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying behavior may include name calling, verbal or written abuse, exclusion from activities, exclusion from social situations, physical abuse, or coercion.”
These little pin-pricks inflicted on my daughter over time became a big deal. She began to have anxiety attacks at night and dreaded going to school. As a result, she’s being homeschooled this year.
Now we’ve worn our pink shirts, listened to the news, and become brilliantly aware that bullying is a problem. What’s next?
I don’t know. There doesn’t seem to be a clear or easy solution to the problem, but the first step, I believe, is to really understand the issue.
Who or what creates bullies? What causes some kids to be picked on more than others? Where is the line between normal childish behavior and bullying? Can parents and other adults really do anything about it? Has bullying always been a problem that we are simply more aware of now?
Over the next few weeks I plan to look for the answers to these questions. I’m no expert, but I am a concerned parent and citizen who can research, ask, listen, and write. Since awareness is the start of a solution, that’s where I’ll begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment