Hi table, so glad to have everyone back. Well this topic has been circling around for a while and I didn’t see it as my problem, but I see that it is, as it should be for anyone who is a parent or witnesses bullying. I heard a news story recently that a 12-year old girl committed suicide due to bullying at a school. If this wasn’t bad enough, the news reporters interviewed several parents who all pointed to the administration as fault stating that they have not attempted to stop bullying at the school. Now of course I have my own opinion but this a roundtable discussion, so I would like to pose a question. Do you feel that this was the administration fault or do you place blame on the child’s parents? I guess you’re wondering why I asked if the parents were at fault. Well let’s think about this, who spends the majority of the time in your child’s life? The answer should be you!
A parent should know the ins and outs of their child. A parent should know the subtle changes when something is different about their child. I understand not every time you will see it but eventually you do notice it. I have eight children, we’ve already went over that, anyway I know when each of them is acting different. I can tell when each of them are lying, when something is uncomfortable to talk about, when they’re only giving half the story and when something is bothering them. Mind you, four of the eight are not biological and I can still tell you something about them. Why? I pay attention to my children. I listen to them when they actually speak. If they don’t speak I make it a point to have them come and sit down to have a conversation with my husband and me.
Do we as parents sit down and have conversations with our kids? Back in the day we all had to sit at the table not watching television as we ate as a family. Do we still do that? I can admit we don’t do that because we’re such a big family, but as stated before I still ask questions about their day. I find something that they’re interested in and we discuss that. This is for the 21-year old down to the 8 year olds. I would talk to the three year old, but have you ever had a conversation with a three year old, anyway talk to your kids. Make sure you make time I don’t care what is on your schedule, give them some time. So back to my question who do you feel is at fault for this tragic situation? I place blame all around. From the school, to the parents, to the other children and their parents.
No one protected this child and as a result she is no longer with us. A young life gone way too soon. A young life that could have been president of a company or this country. A young life who could have inspired a few or many, we’ll never know because some children thought it would be funny to ridicule or pick on a child for whatever reason that ended in a horrible way. Talk to your children, let them know bullying is a coward’s move. Let’s stop bullying all around and protect our future. Let me know your thoughts and keep it respectful. See you at the next discussion.