Bullying is the problem that just won’t go away. Last year we did two big family programs on the subject. I know the children are getting anti-bullying messages in public school. Yet, with all the conversations, all the lesson plans and all the media hype, it still exists. I have had parents approach me already this year with stories of incidences in our school. Of course I address them but why are some students not getting the message? Is it that the parents don’t feel it can be their child? Is it that the child does not realize that what he/she is doing is considered bullying? Is it that we just can’t let the kids be kids?
I came across a wonderful group on Facebook last week. “Cruel’s Not Cool” has wonderful ideas for helping deal with cruelness. This quote was the first one I saw on their page: “As a parent, the best you can hope for is that your voice is in your child's head when (s)he is deliberating over important decisions. If you've done your job well transmitted your values of compassion & caring, then you can take a full measure of confidence that your child will (more often than not) make healthy choices. Since you can't live their lives for them, that's got to be good enough.”
I encourage you to click on this group and become a friend of the group so you can learn from others. Most importantly, though, is that you share this with your children and/or grandchildren.
I really think that most of our parents are trying to keep on top of what their children are doing. Please talk to you child and see if there is anything going on in public school, in the neighborhood or at the synagogue that makes them feel uncomfortable. This past week I was in a classroom talking to the students about poor decisions. I will continue to be an advocate for each child. To me, it is an important part of my job.