Wully Bully

There is a LOT of talk about bullying, these days.  It seems to be leading to some terrible things- suicide, homicide, mass homicide (school shootings) self- harm, etc. 

I agree that bullying is a problem, and should be dealt with.

I also think that there is another issue, even bigger than bullying, and if that can be fixed, then bullying won't have such an impact on children and teens.

Self Esteem, is what I am referring to.

No teenage girl (and most boys, and a lot of adults)  has it, it seems.  In my personal opinion, if parent's would focus more on their own children, and helping them to acquire a better self picture, and learn to deal with tough situations, these children wouldn't bully, and wouldn't be so affected by bullying.

Parents should be giving their children coping skills in order to deal with being bullied. Because, let's face it, it's going to happen. It's happened for ages, and will continue. I think the reason it is such an enormous issue right now, is because we are a society full of whiny babies.

We are parents that refuse to teach our children to take responsibility for their actions. We are parents that raise our children to think that they do no wrong, even when they do.  We are parents that raise our children to disrespect adults, other children, and themselves. We raise children not to stick up for themselves, but to tell someone else, and have them deal with it.

 The problem with telling someone else, and having them deal with it, is, that you can't count on other people all the time. Sometimes, you need to do things yourself to get them done right, and more importantly, get the respect that you deserve.  I think that's the case in MOST bullying situations.  Sure, there are times when you should tell someone what's going on, ask for their help- a parent, a teacher, but sometimes you need to stick up for yourself, or nothing will change. 

We need to teach our young children, and teenagers that suicide is a "Permanent solution to a  temporary problem." That is not the answer to anything. You cannot let other people's actions force you down a certain path in your life. Take control of your life. 

Having a positive attitude is huge.

We need to teach our children to stick up for themselves, but not through violence. To cope with bad situations, but again, with no violence.

If we can teach our children these things, and let them know that we're there for them, at the same time, I think that this bullying situation might be able to improve. 

"Learning to stand up for yourself will ensure that other people respect you, they aren’t afraid that you’ll bite their head off, and they won’t try to push you around or whittle you down to suit their own needs."