Amanda Todd was a naive little girl. She made some mistakes. But she just wanted people to like her. It's really sad that she killed herself because of the bullying that she endured and it is even sadder that people are still bullying her after she's died. It makes me want to cry when I think about that.
But she is dead. And instead of focusing on what has already come to pass we - parents AND teenagers - need to focus on what we can do for other young people like her so that it doesn't happen again. Because really, when it comes to your local area, this is something that you can do something about!
TEENAGERS:
- Stop judging each other. You don't know what is going on in that kid's life so just stop judging.
- Actively try to be empathetic!
- Pay attention to what is going on around you because the bullying is happening right in front of your eyes.
- Don't be a keyboard warrior! Bullying on the Internet is just as harmful as bullying in the real world.
- Take time to say hi to someone that will appreciate it.
- Have a conversation with someone that you know gets bullied.
- Look past the acne, the fat, the disability, and the mistakes that people have made in the past.
- Be nice to each other and quit putting each other down to feel better about yourself.
- Step up and defend someone when you see them being bullied. It is harder to bully 2 people, 3 people, 4 people...than it is to bully one.
- Be loud when you are calling out a bully. They don't like to be called out.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help.
PARENTS
- Listen to your kids.
- Talk to your kids about bullying.
- Encourage your kids to be friends with a wide array of people.
- Monitor what they do online.
- Talk to your kids about things like confidence and self-worth.
- Encourage empathy.
- Show your kids how to act towards others through your own actions: don't judge and don't be a bully yourself.
- Call our parental bullies because other parents can be pretty big offenders, too.
- Stand up for your kids and do what you have to do to keep them safe. Sometimes you have to be a little bit pushy at the school to get what you need for your kids.
My Take on the Amanda Todd News
Submitted by dmcgaw on October 15th, 2012 – Flag this news as inappropriate
Category: Personal
EVERYONE NEEDS A KIND WORD OR SMILE EVERY NOW AND THEN NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR HOW SUCCESSFUL/UNSUCCESSFUL THEY ARE. IT COULD MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!
I had an enlightening comment one day from a very treasured and respected on-line friend after I wrote about bullying, that included an anecdote about my own serious head injury from the hands of a bully.
She reminded me that bullies are people, too. One of her children is a bully.I have some misconceptions that all bullies have bullying parents. I know this Mom is loving and caring. I also know that "bullies" have a great need for attention and they need some kind of help. we all need to understand how not to give back negative attention to protect ourselves.
Lovely. I love the way you are so concise. You nailed it.
Janyben - the schools out here require all kids to take anti-bullying classes in middle school. Just found this out.
This is such a sad situation. I think every child should go through a "bullying" class starting in kindergarten, about being nice. And more should be done to punish bullies. My son is just starting middle school and they have a fairy new zero tolerance bulling rule. And from what I've heard, it's working!
People who bullied her should be guilty for this...