Lessons Learned

Yesterday, I shared Ruby Red’s second story about an instance of bullying that she did not speak up in. This was very interesting for us, as we talk about bullying continually in our house. As you can imagine, my passion for ending bullying flows into every aspect of my life.

When I pick her up from school, she gives me a run down about her day and this day was like none other. As soon as she hopped into the car, she starts telling me about this boy who was beat up to the point that he was bleeding. I was in shock! I asked her about it and she told me what happened, but the strangest thing came from this conversation, something I did not expect.

She didn’t realize that fighting comes from bullying.

She told me that the boy who was beaten up gets picked on frequently, but he is a really nice kid. The boy who beat him up is a bully. I ask her if she is nice to the boy who got beat up and she said yes and she told me how sick it made her feel to watch him get beat up.

I asked her, did she tell anyone and she said no, because she was scared. I can understand that. She’s a tiny little thing and the bully is almost as big as a full grown adult. But she knows now to speak up the next time.

Funny thing, what kids think of bullying.

What I learned from this: Take every opportunity to talk to your kids about bullying. You never know what you’ll learn.

And one further point, I do want my daughter to Stand Up and Speak Out against bullying, but in this instance, I expect her to only go find someone, not get in the mix. I cannot fathom the harm she could have faced if she stepped in to the fight. I realized it was important we talked of what actions she should take as a bystander.

It was a learning experience for both of us…. Aren’t those the very best kind?