Be the nice kid
As the sun goes down on another week, I’m reminded of just how tough life can be, of just how horrible the human race can be, how cruel and how pathetic….
As many of you will know I was bullied quite severely during Junior School. Four years of my life between the ages of 7-11 that have changed me forever. Years that I blocked out and only really have a few funny/happy memories from that whole time. Four years that mean I now struggle to pick up a phone to call someone. That means I struggle to socialise, that means I have crippling insecurity and sometimes struggle just to leave the house. That means I can hardly look in the mirror without squirming.
No escape
Now I know how messed up I am from school, but imagine being a kid now. At least I knew that once I was home, I was safe. Imagine knowing that even when you leave school, you can’t leave the bullying behind. That no matter what they can always get to you, there literally is no escape! The digital age has done just that.
Not only that but dare to put yourself out there, and you open up to the possibility of being bullied (or trolled as it’s known) by complete strangers. People who have never met you but feel the need to judge, to comment, to bully…
Deliberately different
Take Reuben De Maid, an amazing boy of 12 who has a huge talent for singing and also for makeup! Having built up a huge following on social media, Reuben admits to being trolled online, read his full story here www.thesun.co.uk/reuben-de-maid-12-year-old-welsh-singer-and-make-up-expert-bullied/
I’ve said for a long time that much as we show our horror for such leaders as Hitler and Mussolini, we as a race are slowly descending into just as much hatred for others creeds, proclivities, in fact, anything that makes us stand out. The divide is growing, two sides; one becoming more narrow-minded, more bigoted, more fearful; one championing acceptance and the want to champion the individual.
And this is exactly what it boils down to… fear! Fear of the unknown, ignorance, fear of being different, of standing out, of being yourself.
How do we stop this, how do we ensure our kids can be who they want to be? And how do we ensure that we equip our kids to not only have the confidence to be who they want to be but that they also support and encourage their peers to be who they want to be.
We as a generation need to be strong, we need to be the parents that our kids so desperately need. We are facing issues that our parents never faced, complexities that never used to be an issue. But actually it all boils down to the same, we need to show our children how to…
[…] a larger ‘new town’ primary school (one of about 6 in the town) and I was immediately a target for bullying. I don’t think there was a specific reason really, except that I was new. I now know that the […]