Most 13 old boys would have went into hiding, afraid and not wanting to discusses or relive that horrific 30 minutes of their young lives. Nadin didn't do that, he stepped up and appeared on, "The View" to discuss the event and the bullying that occurs everyday in America.
I want to honor his courage with this post and let it be a reminder to all of what courage is. This young man has taken a very scary and negative thing and is turning into a positive event that will hopefully give strength and courage to others to speak out against bullying.
Lastly, parents, get involved with your kids. There is no room anywhere for this kind of behavior. There are kids getting bullied everyday across America. The most tragic of these cases end with the individual who has been bullied, repeatedly, ending their young lives. Educate your children on appropriate behavior at school and what to do in these types of situations. Whether they are the victim or if they witness such behavior. Make them understand that this is not acceptable behavior toward another human being. Let them know that it's OK to come to you and let you know about it. This isn't about being tough or not being the wimpy kid, this is about treating others with respect and dignity regardless of who they are.
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2 comments:
It's SO important to post stories like this-where the kid stepped up and made a difference.
I have an 11yo daughter who was bullied on Facebook (she briefly had a private account) by one of her so-called school friends. When I approached the girl's father (who happens to be quite wealthy and the chairman of the board of the school), he was shocked and unaware of his daughter's rampant cyberbullying...and in total denial. At first. Luckily, I had saved the screenshots of all the offending posts.
Despite her apologies, this girl continued the behavior so I shut down my girl's account.
It was only her first toe in the water and totally private but it was enough for her (and us) to realize she's too young. Kids have too much freedom, even after being busted, to bully online. They feel a sense of freedom to be so hurtfull to their peers in a way they can't IRL that can be just as, if not more so, damaging.
I just wanted to add my own experience as I see more and more friends allowing their kids on Facebook and Twitter, and texting. It's unavoidable to a certain extent--I get that. But we as parents must be invovled, no question.
K, done. :)
Rachel,
Thank you for your courage and the time to share your personal experiences on this important topic.
I agree totally with your observation of people allowing their children to wade into social media at such a young age.
I think that, as parents, we must educate our children on appropriate behavior when interacting with social media and the internet. We also have to equip them with the tools to be able to understand and deal with the many different types of people they meet.
Thank you again for joining the conversation, you are appreciated.
Greg
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