Stand Up To Bullying
With so many students returning to school this week and next week, we want to take this opportunity to encourage school age children to stand up to bullying! While we would never encourage a confrontation, we would like you to consider standing up for those that are shy and those that are being picked on unmercifully. If you see this happening to a fellow student, please don’t turn the other way and ignore it. Consider speaking up on behalf of the student that is being bullied so that the bullying stops once and for all. I would suggest getting a teacher involved and advising them of what you have just witnessed. If it is something that is currently in progress, maybe the teacher would have a chance of catching the bully in action. If not, still talk to a teacher about what you have witnessed. This way, they will be able to keep an eye on the individuals involved so they can prevent a situation like that from happening in the future.
If someone is bullying you in any way, please find your voice and speak out about it. I was bullied in school, and I was also threatened that if I told anyone that the bully would do worse things to me than they were already doing. This kept me silent for far too long. Please don’t fall victim to this. The earlier you speak out, the better your chances are of being released from this prison.
Schools have a zero tolerance for bullying where I live. They have even had the police department out to speak to the students about how serious bullying is and the consequences behind doing it.
Join us as we continue to pray over the students returning to school. Today, please also join us in prayer for the ones that have been bullied in silence so that they have the strength and courage to speak out. Please pray for those that may witness the bullying so that they also have the courage to speak out on behalf of the one that is being bullied.
Together we can make a difference!
August 19, 2014 @ 12:18 pm
What a positive message!!
August 20, 2014 @ 1:45 pm
Thank you so much, Nancy.
August 19, 2014 @ 12:28 pm
I was bullied as a child. It’s never a good feeling or experience. Children must have a safe place to be themselves. Schools should be that place. Thanks for sharing!
August 20, 2014 @ 1:43 pm
I knew I couldn’t be the only one, Adrienne. Thank you for sharing that you were bullied also. We spent more time at school, and it should have been a pleasant experience. Children should want to go to school, and yet so many do not want to step through the doors for fear of what will greet them as the day goes on. Some bullies do it in front of other students to show how “cool” they are (this happened to me on the playground). They are mistaken, though, because that does not make them cool at all! Others wait to get their unsuspecting prey caught off guard in the bathrooms at school (unfortunately, this happened to me also!).
August 19, 2014 @ 1:19 pm
Bullying is definitely an issue that is present way may than we may think or even want to accept. My daughter is only 5 and she is already fearful of school simply because of the bullying she has experienced in her other actvities. Teaching her not ot return the actions is hard but I know one of the best ways to stop it from continuing.
August 20, 2014 @ 1:40 pm
Very true, Tiffany. It is hard when this happens, but please encourage her to speak up when it happens in other activities so it can be addressed and not allowed to continue on.
August 19, 2014 @ 9:39 pm
I’m so glad that bullying is no longer kept shut up in the closet. I know it takes a lot for some kids to stand up to bullying. Praying for all the kids!
August 20, 2014 @ 1:39 pm
Thank you, Alli. Kids can be cruel and relentless. If they see something bothers someone, they keep right on. They need our prayers now more than ever.
August 20, 2014 @ 7:54 am
Definitely a topic worth discussing. I’m scared to death for when my little guy enters school!
~ Beth Anne
August 20, 2014 @ 1:38 pm
Thank you, Beth Anne. Just keep an eye on his behavior and keep communication open so that he’ll come to you if this ever starts to happen to him. I didn’t have that openness with my parents so I kept a lot of it inside.
August 20, 2014 @ 11:21 am
I’ve been lucky enough to never have experience bullying firsthand. I’ve never understood why people would want to treat others so badly. It’s so mean and heartless, and watching movies and hearing stories online really weighs on my heart. This is such an important message, and I’m so happy you shared it!
August 20, 2014 @ 1:37 pm
Thank you so much, Tiffany. It is very real, and it concerns me a great deal what school aged children go through. Not only that, but if the bullies aren’t stopped in school, they grow up to be adult bullies in the workplace. I’ve been through that as well and ended up leaving the job I loved because Management would not do anything about it. I just will never understand why this is allowed to go on and the message sent by so many is that it’s okay when clearly it is not!