..because it would be detrimental to our community and an insult to Olivia Scott’s memory if we don’t. Rather than quietly ignoring this tragedy, which we know is the easiest response, we’d actually like to talk about bullying; about how damn hard it is to simply grow up, to transition from that safe place at home into the adult world. So wouldn’t it be nice if we seize this opportunity to begin an open and honest dialogue? It seems wasteful (dare we say ignorant) not to speak to our family, to our neighbors and to our community about the challenges of today’s youth. We aren’t naive enough to believe ourselves experts on this topic. In fact, our current focus involves sibling battles over toys and trying to eradicate pinching from our household. But we know, this is where it all begins. Here at home, our children will learn how to handle themselves as they join the greater community. Thus, we’re arming ourselves with knowledge and learning ways to speak to our children about the great task they have before them.
We hope you might consider reading some of the resources that we’ve found useful and inspiring. This article seems to be a particularly appropriate place to begin. Her opening paragraph caught our eye, as we’ve thought these same thoughts, perhaps you have too:
The term cyber-bullying sounds so futuristic … so foreign … and so far-off. When I heard the word about a year ago, I thought I had plenty of time before this type of threat could touch my family. Part of me wanted to believe we could avoid it altogether—that it was something that happened to “other people.” But now I know that kind of thinking is just foolish and naïve. read moreHer article continues with an open letter to her daughter. Her last piece of advice, our favorite, is one that we hope to pass along to our children and to their friends:
Let me remind you … I cannot make your problems and hurts go away, but I can listen. And together we can come up with a solution. There is nothing we can’t get through together. You are never, never alone. read moreHer letter was published as part of the Raise a Giant letter writing campaign, a partnership between Green Giant and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. The campaign aims to help students understand how they can handle bullying, you can find her letter among many other letters written by people who care about children here. Anyone can write a letter and post it on their site during the month of October, which is National Bullying Prevention Month. We encourage you to explore these sites and begin a conversation with your children or your community about bullying. Thank you.
I appreciate you posting this. I always wonder why so much of the conversation is focused on how the victims need to approach things differently. What can we do to start a conversation about the bullies, how they can be identified, how their parents need to engage, how we can hold accountable those who stalk and psychologically assault and sometimes even physically assault others? It all helps, but I think sometimes we are spending too much precious time in the wrong conversation.