On Bullying

It's not easy to be thrown into the social and educational demands of adolescence.  

It's not easy trying to figure out the complexities and confusions of an evolving body and mind.

It's not easy to have braces, or acne, or a unibrow.

It's not easy to be the subject of ridicule when all you really want is to be accepted.

It's not easy to get to know yourself.

Growing up is tough.  

via

Today's post serves a dual purpose.
I already had a post in mind on bullying and have been drafting it for a while now.
Earlier this afternoon, I came across this cute post, from a blog I found a few weeks back, and in it Torie is linking up with Chelsea at Life is a Sunset.
She does a series called "Journey Forward" and it's all about self-empowerment and motivation and setting healthy goals and happiness.
Right up my ally.  Have to participate.

So in Journey Forward, you pick a word that means something to you on your path to self-discovery.   

Obviously my word is kindness.  

This week, the series is focusing on role models.  I will get to mine a little later.  

Let me first say a few words about my original thought for this post: 

Bullying. 

I was bullied as a kid.  I remember how awful it made me feel to be publicly humiliated during a time when I was trying to figure myself out.  It was a setback, honestly.  The more I was picked on about things that were totally out of my control, the further away it pushed me from knowing my true self.

It has taken me a long time to work through the residual effects of being picked on as a kid, and I have realized:

Meanness is a sick disease.  It damages.  It destroys.  It hurts.  And sometimes, it kills.  Much like some of the more serious illnesses threatening human beings, there doesn't seem to be any cure for meanness.  It hasn't been studied enough to identify solutions.  

Meanness fosters meanness.  Hate fosters hate.  You cannot combat a bully by being a bully back.  We cannot find a solution for this threat by being hateful in return.  We can only love, and care, and forgive, and be kind.

Ray Rice is a running back for the Baltimore Ravens, and he is a role model on and off the field.  On his Facebook page today, he reminded us all of the difference between right and wrong:

"I want to say something to the kids out there: Bullying is a BIG deal. It is NEVER acceptable and you may be causing a lot of damage to another person. If you don't want to be friends with someone, then you don't have to...but there is NO NEED to gang up on that person, tease or insult them. The consequences of hate can be devastating. You can be a HERO to someone who is being bullied, just by being their friend. Parents: Have a SERIOUS talk with your kids! Whether you think they are involved in bullying or not, they DO see it! Encourage your child to be a kind person and reach out to a kid who needs a friend!"
 -Ray Rice

via

I am so touched by his words, and by his sprirt.  Here is a man who makes millions and millions and could spend his time and energy doing countless other things.  And yet, he's on Facebook, trying to spread a loving and inspirational message.

This is exactly what I am trying to instill in my sons: The importance of kindness and fairness.  

Thank you Ray Rice, for being such a role model for young kids out there who are struggling with this issue in one way or another.  With someone of your celebrity and humility, people are SURE to listen.  I know I am.

If you would, watch the trailer below for the movie Bully (2012), and if it moves you, click here to bring it to your city.  

Kindly~

Meghan