While I'm keeping it light here in Tampa Bay, I may be ignoring the insanity out there too much. How can we ignore this? Be decent.
Newt
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An exposition of the merits of retiring early to Florida from some less eccentric part of the world.
_________Newt_________
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Sad ...very sad. You're right. We should not, and can not ignore this, or the kind of bullying that led to this young man’s death, and others any longer. Thank you for sharing the video clip Newt, and well said Ellen.
ReplyDeleteSad ...very sad. You're right. We should not, and can not ignore this, or the kind of bullying that led to this young man’s death, and others any longer. Thank you for sharing the video clip Newt, and well said Ellen.
ReplyDeleteBullying is a subject that is always on the radar in our home. If the kids bully someone and don't realize it (and one of them, at least, is at an age where he won't always realize it) it gets pointed out to them. If they have just been bullied by someone else, it also gets pointed out so they can be reminded of what it feels like to be bullied. It is one of our goals as parents to raise our 2 children as responsible peers who don't feel the need to bully other people.
ReplyDeleteThe kids (although it should not be limited to kids) need to be taught what bullying is and to be able to recognize it when it is happening. They also need to know what they can do to protect themselves, their friends, the people they love, and even others who are too overwhelmed to help themselves. The schools are catching on but the kids at school that I see openly bullying other kids are the ones who don't have this support at home. There is no one consistently watching to tell them what they are doing is wrong.
I have been very upset by this story in the news, as I was by the young Irish girl in Massachusetts some months ago. There was a teenager nearly beaten to death in the stairwell at the high school last year (I had to listen to local teenagers tell me that he was asking for a beating). Having experienced a fair amount of bullying in my lifetime, it is scary thinking about all of the places that a bully can gain access to their victims: telephone, cells, texting, facebook, email, instant messenger... The list is too long. How can kids call home a sanctuary?
Kris, your kids are the luckiest kids in the world to have you and Scott for parents. (For lots of reasons beyond the ones you listed, BTW.) The real issue is how do we make it safe for kids who do not have you? Having someone like Scott - and now you - in the educational system is a good start.
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