The Future of Bullies

by Kathy Foust

Why do we think it's so important to stop bullying in schools? Well, for me it isn't just about the here and now. No, I do not like to read or hear about children being hurt or hurting themselves. I hate that. More than hating the acts that are committed, I hate knowing the feeling those kids have when they hurt themselves. I hate the very idea that anyone feels that hopeless because I've been down that road and I wouldn't wish those feelings on anyone. But, even more than that I want to change the future and the way that people think about things. Changes for the future start right here, right now, with our children.

Years ago, Americans stood and fought their own countrymen for what was right. They stood in the face of fear, with mobs condemning them, sometimes to death. Their homes got destroyed and families were torn apart. All because they wanted to do the right thing, something that seems to have been lost in this day and age when people seem to be oblivious to their rights.

We don't stand up anymore and we are encouraged to tell our children not to stand up for themselves, something I absolutely refuse to do. There are so many restrictions on teachers today that I can see where we are creating bullies out of children with special needs who may not even know any better and who aren't being properly instructed so that they can learn better.

We have public officials saying that the people's opinion doesn't matter when it comes to certain laws. We are so duped into submission through the intimidation of law makers that we are now compliant without them even issuing a threat. We have become sheep led by bullies. And yet, we refuse to stand up for ourselves out of fear.

Do I want our children to start a war? No. I hope that my child never has to face armed combat. By the same token, I will encourage my own child to stand up for himself, even if it's to me. And sometimes I make mistakes in my own judgement and I appreciate his brutal honesty that's given in the only way a 9 year old can, without flowery words or pampering, but with simple concepts and home truths. But, if I don't stand up for what's right, how can I teach him to?

In truth, we need to teach our children that sometimes, even when the consequences are harsh, doing the right thing is the only thing to do.