Bullying Affects a Quarter of High Schools Students

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Bullying is never new to us, as we all know that most of the reasons why some students tend to stop from studying because of the fact that they are being bullied in school. While reading an article on a blog, it mentioned that there was a service I could use to track my kids to be sure they were always in safe places. At the bottom it said I could follow the site anationofmoms and be entered for a drawing of 6 months free of the service. Not bad!http://anationofmoms.com/2011/08/protect-your-family-giveaway.html

SheenaSmith of CA 4:59AM August 31, 2011

Benefits?, I think you are way off track here and, quite frankly, your question is the attitude that perpetuates the problem. No matter if the person being bullied is weak or strong, regardless of race, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, the victim of bullying is a victim. The bully is the one with the problem. Bullies tend to pick on kids they perceive as targets, which menas anyone that is different from the crowd, for whatever reason. I agree that how the victim reacts can hinder or escalate the problem. But, even that can't be described as weak vs. strong. The victim is simply uninformed or unable to handle the situation.
My son is a case in point. He was harassed, beginning in fifth grade by boys he has known his entire life and had been friends with. The school did nothing about it and it was effecting every aspect of his life so we left. The next school had a very rigorous anti-bullying program and my son made friends and had no problems. He has just started high school and now is back with some of those kids he left at the end of fifth grade. They are beginning to pick on him and harass him again after three years. My son is better equipped to handle it now but these boys were never taught to not bully. They have corrupted each other. The first bully (some insecure kid) got away with it and it made him look cool and some followed because they wished to be cool too. Now, it's become a way to assert dominance and prove themselves. I mean, it worked in middle school, right?
My son is very mature for his age, intellectually. His vocabulary and manners far exceed most of the kids he is with and he hasn't learned to take it down a notch when he is around them. This is why he is targeted. He doesn't believe in physical violence so he won't physically stand up for himself. It hurts his feelings so he does get frustrated and angry with them and that is a green light for these jerks.
to continue their antics.
We have educated him on why kids bully and given him a few pointers, including removing himself from the situation and ignoring them completely. I have also gotten in touch with the adminsitration and am currently awaiting a call.
Anyway, I hope you understand that over-protecting kids is not the reason others bully. Kids bully other kids because of their own weaknesses and self-esteem issues or because they haven't been properly disciplined to not bully. No matter what the reason, as the mother of a kid that gets picked on, I want it to stop.

dolly of FL 9:15AM August 30, 2011

Yes, bullying is a huge problem in public school. My son who is home-schooled at this time began to hate public school. His grades continually dropped year after year. I hate that he is not in public school for the social advantages but as long as we are able to do home-schooling and I give him any say in which he does. He always chooses it over public school. There has always seemed to be 2 or more types of people at public school. You have you're popular, best dressed, totally advantaged kids then you have you're kids that are looked down on maybe because they are in a family with more financial hardship or whatever the case may be. This is where a lot of it begins. Something needs to change it because I can't believe how many kids are committing suicide these days as young as 11 & 12. You are definitely a strong person to have gotten through everything that you have and are doing well. I wish you the best of luck in all that you do.

Michelle Hawks of NC 3:56AM August 29, 2011

bullying is a very bad thing to do and it can hurt people not just by talking but because its physical to others

brittney of FL 2:20PM August 27, 2011

My son had a horrible freshman year in high school due to bullying that carried over from middle school. He kept it a secret from us during middle school.
Once in high school he started cutting and that's how we found out how upset he was. He had told teachers in middle school all they did was talk to the bully and told him not to do it again...and of course, he did. The high school dealt with it but when another bully threatened him in the hallway up against a wall and my son pushed the kid away with his foot to get away, the kid started beating on him. But because my son made contact first (in an effort to escape) and because of the "zero tolerance" rule, my son was suspended for a day. And that depressed him so much that his grades just sunk. I'm hoping sophomore year will be better....

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dfsgs of LA 9:39PM August 25, 2011

Often, when bullying turns tragic, those left behind suffer the shame, guilt and hopelessness while trying to pick up the pieces. In partnership with a school district in upstate NY, this video was produced. If it helps one person, it was worth doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa595xwWT1s

JD Savage of NY 12:07PM August 25, 2011

It's assault, harassment and it's against the law! Lawmakers have no problem enforcing weapons and drug violations on campuses. It is up to us to force them to enforce the law. There is no need for a special anti-bullying agenda. These laws are already on the books in every state. http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-state-legislators-to-enact-a-zero-tolerance-harassment-law-in-every-state There is no incentive ($$$) for lawmakers to get involved except for the fact that their future may now depend on it. The next child suicide may occur within their own families. This petition tags every state. The 30 seconds you take to sign it may save a life, Thanks.

Jimmy Armstrong of MS 2:23PM August 24, 2011