Happy October everyone. October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and it couldn’t come at a more pivotal time. So many news stories lately tell the horror and reality that is bullying in society today. From The Whitney Kropp Story which had a happy ending to Dustin VanLaningham, which unfortunately did not, to the  cyber-bullies on Facebook, whose fate is yet to be decided.  Everything is magnified ad infinitum owing to the internet and smart phones and their ilk. I can’t imagine the distress of my childhood bullying courtesy of Facebook and youtube. My son said to me the other day “My phone is full of fights.” What? He’s 16 and in grade 11 at the local public high school. He’s been blessed with his father’s genes of height and bulk (and I like to think his mother’s genes of peacekeeping), along with a black-belt in karate.  He doesn’t bother anyone and nobody bothers him, except for the guys who fight.  “Yeah. I like to tape them and sometimes I post them on Facebook so the goons can see how stupid they look.” Smart and effective, I think. That’s his version of Bullying Prevention and for this, I commend him. I don’t know how I feel about recording people but I’m old-school and he’s working with what he has, for which I can’t fault him. It’s not his fault others are abusing the power at their fingertips by posting hurtful remarks and starting pages about 12-year old sluts. Please sign the petition to get this cyber-bullying off of Facebook. It’s the first thing we can all do this month to prevent bullying.

We should all do our part to be aware of the battered and bruised bodies and souls of the current youth. Let’s make a kids’ day a little better with a smile, kind word or gesture. Let’s boost their confidence and brighten their morale. In fact, make anybody’s day a little better any way you can. Isn’t that ultimately the goal in life? To add joy if you can or at the very least, help remove some pain.

Related articles

• Bully Busting in School and on the Web
• Anti-Bullying Best Practices Noted by Ed. Dept.
• Milwaukee Public Schools takes action against bullying