My twenty-year-old daughter shared some of her writing with me a few weeks ago. This is something that doesn't happen very often as she is a very private person, so I was really honoured when she let me read her daily journal. She had shared with me recently that she was bullied in school when she was a teenager and she was writing in her journal about how the penalty for bullying, cyber or otherwise, should be MUCH more severe. She was bullied in school because of her Asperger's ( an Autism Spectrum Disorder) so she knew first hand how it can make life a living hell for kids of all ages!
It is happening so often these days - so many young people are taking their lives because living has become too difficult and they just can't carry on. I cannot imagine the pain that these poor kids would have had to endure before they got to that point.
I wonder sometimes why the parents are not held accountable also! I have a hard time believing that they are not aware of what their kids are up to and are just choosing to turn a blind eye. After all bullies show CERTAIN characteristics that are pretty obvious, such as a lack of empathy. I am not saying every kid who lacks empathy is a bully, but that in itself should be HUGE red flag and something you as a parent or caregiver should talk to your child about. Empathy is something you CAN teach your child and the younger the better. For ideas on how to teach empathy to your children check out KidsGoals.com and sign up for the free newsletter :)
I will touch more on the importance of empathy in future blogs.
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