Parents tell me stories of their school-aged children being bullied. But what the majority of us are hearing about are stories of older children taking their lives as teens. We hear that teens taking their lives felt there was no other solution.
It’s time for us to take our children’s social well-being seriously. I think one way to do this is to educate ourselves on what is going on with teens these days so that we know where things can lead to.
Having the courage to be yourself. That’s what I stand for. Both for boys and girls. That every person has the right to be themselves without second guessing their worthiness. That’s what this article I am sharing today makes me think about. All the times I was told by others that I wasn’t good enough and then, sadly, I believed it. All the times I wondered what I needed to do to make others like me.
It has been exhausting and I wish for every child out there that they don’t have to spend years finding and accepting themselves. I wish I could reach out to all the little ones and make them BELIEVE me when I say
“Be yourself! Those who love and care about you do so because of who you are and not what you have. There will be people who don’t like you and that’s okay! You will tire out trying to make everyone like you and trying to make everyone happy. Be yourself and spend your energy on sharing your talents with the world to make a difference.”
My bullying video series will continue in the weeks and months ahead (I honestly have been trying to tape a new episode but I haven’t had a quiet moment without my girls in a few days or if I have, I have spent it napping!) But until then, I want to share some great articles out there on the internet for parents, caregivers and teachers to read.
Check out this one by writer Matt Walsh