I heard on the news this morning of another child who killed themselves as a result of bullying at school. In this case it was a ten year old girl in North Carolina. She was the victim of intense bullying at school and on-line. The mom opened the door to her daughter's bedroom to discover her hanging by her neck. The girl took her last breath in her mother's arms. The evidence was on the Facebook page on her computer.
Bullying has become such an epidemic that the national Center for Disease Control has become involved. In a 2009 survey, 20% of high school students reported being bullied on school property in the preceding twelve months.
It is especially disturbing when bullying takes place in a Christian environment, but I can't deny that it happened during my years in youth ministry. In one case, the parents of the bully responded in a hostile manner when I tried to intervene. In their mind, "It was just boys being boys, and the victim just needed to get over it." When words or actions hurt, it's never ok.
Maybe we need to do a better job of applying the Golden Rule: "Do onto others as you would have them do unto you." I know it sound a little like work righteousness, but it's a principal Christians should live by. It's also a principle that is best caught, rather than taught. In other words we, as adults, must model it. In addition, when we witness a child bullying another child, we need to confront it with a reminder of The Golden Rule.
In addition, we owe it to our kids to know what's going on in their lives. If we sense any bullying, we need to follow the trail. That means constantly monitor the content on their computers and smart phones.
If bullying is an epidemic, we need to shift into a prevention mode.
No comments:
Post a Comment