Thanks to The Bully Project for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website to join the movement and learn more.

Bullying is huge problem that is getting increased attention based on the rising number of tragedies associated with our youth. This is a serious issue. Bullying has gone from shoving in the sand box to getting beat up, feeling pressured to carry a weapon and sadly death. There are several types of bullying that our youth deal with… There is physical , verbal , mental and cyber bullying which in this day and age is amplified due to access to the internet and social media outlets. As parents how do you teach your children to deal with this when you yourself didn’t deal with it as a minor? As a child the extent of bullying was getting jumped (one child getting beat of by many children) after school. Now children carry razors, knives and guns. Cyber bullying opens up a whole new world because as a minor we didn’t have access to the internet and social networks. So when my child comes home with no physical scars, no tears and just a real down mood there is no evidence pointing to the issue.

Three years ago was my first time truly dealing with how serious this issue is. My daughter was being verbally and mentally bullied by students at her school to the point that she couldn’t function and had a emotional breakdown and was taken to see her guidance counselor. She began to express what she was going through and ended the conversation by stating that she didn’t want to live anymore. It would be easier if she wasn’t here. By law the school is required to alert the proper authorities and my daughter was taken to a local hospital to remain under observation for 24-48 hours. As a mother I was angry and couldn’t understand what could drive her to that state of mind. I’m more of a shake it off type of person and she takes things to heart which really contributed to the issue. Did my reaction downplay the situation because it was something I wasn’t used to or comfortable with? My heart was broken and all I wanted was for my daughter to be strong enough to deal with going to school and not letting every little thing bother her. I also tried to get her to understand that kids can be cruel and you can’t control what people say, just know that you are beautiful and you can’t let others steal your joy because they’re unhappy with themselves and require entertain.

Parents, I know we’d love to believe that our children are perfect and sometimes above correction but, right is right and wrong is wrong! If my child is doing something wrong I need to correct that situation and let them know they are in the wrong. Some parents of children that are doing the bullying assume that their child is above correction or they have the same demeanor and see nothing wrong with it. I write this post in hopes that parents will sit down with their children and find out if they are being bullied or are bullying others and discuss how the choices you make and your actions affect the lives of others. You have to remember that our children grow up and the experiences that they go through shape their personality, so a bully at school may become a bully at work and a child being bullied may be severely taken advantage of. STOP the bullying!

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Find showings in your area for The Bully Project and buy tickets here.