taking on the bullies

How many lives have been cut short due to bullying?  We don't need to know a number, because ANY life lost is too many!  Bullying should have no place in our schools or in our churches or in the lives of our kids.  We need to take on the bullies and put an end to their evil.

 

Tomorrow may will be wearing purple as the third annual Spirit Day takes place and again brings awareness to bullying.  Wearing purple is a wonderful sign of solidarity, but wee need to do much more.  We need to stand up and speak out.  We don't always see it, but bullying is very widespread.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2011, 20% of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying.  Don't be surprised if you never heard anything from your own children.  Bullying often goes unreported.

 

Speak out means we need to convince our kids that it is important for them to report these things to us.  As adults, we need to tackle bullying head-on and let the bullies know that such behavior is not tolerated.  We need to stand up to the bullies.  We cannot tolerate such behavior and we cannot sit silent when our children are taking their own lives when they cannot bear the bullying any longer.

Spirit Day, which is tomorrow, is one way we can stand up and speak out all together.  People are urged to wear the color purple as a sign of solidarity.  (Purple is the "spirit" color on the rainbow flag).  We aim to create a world in which teenagers, especially lgbt teens,  are celebrated and accepted for who they are. Wearing the color is only part of it.  We need to become more involved and we need to speak up!