Goodnight dear friends and family. It’s Thursday night. That means only one more day for working and other weekly obligations. The weekend is almost here. We hope you’ll be able to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather because soon it will be gone.
It’s back to school in just a few more weeks. This can be a very exciting time for children, as they enter a new grade and sometimes a new school. But it can also be a very scary time.
Bullying still remains one of the largest problems for school aged children. No matter how old the child is, they are at risk for bullying. It’s very important for you to teach your children about bullies and about the consequences of bullying on a person’s spirit. Most importantly, it is important to teach your child that bullies are always the weakest people of all. Make sure your child knows very well that it is never okay to bully someone else. Instill in your child a sense of pride and accomplishment for being kind to others. Reward your child for compassion and gentleness.
Even if your child is not being bullied but they see someone else being bullied, they should never remain silent. Tell your child to go right to the administration of the school and say something, even if it is anonymously. Tell your child how proud you are of them, when they take part in stopping a bully.
Every year bullying leads to depression, isolation and sometimes suicide. The introduction of the Internet has taken bullying to an all time high. This type of bullying, is known as “Cyber bullying.” Cyber bullying has made it easier for the bully to access the psyche, even after school. Make sure you monitor your child’s activity on the Internet. Encourage your child to always feel free to talk to you about anything. A lot of times, children being bullied will not tell their parents what’s going on at school. This can leave the child feeling more isolated, powerless and even hopeless.
Although many schools now have anti -bullying campaigns, it is still not enough to protect your child. Bullies usually do their “work” when no supervision is around. Hallways in between classes and recess can be the most vulnerable moments for your child. This is why it is so important to teach our children when they are very young that it is never “cool” to hurt someone else, either physically or emotionally.
As my father taught me so many years ago, never ever back down to a bully. It’s amazing that as we grow, you can always find a bully at any age and in any circumstances including the work place. No matter when or where, the rule still stands that you should never back down to a bully. The bully is weak and it makes them feel stronger to tear someone else down. A lot of times, bullies will pick on a person they are jealous of for one reason or another. Bullies are at the core, very unhappy people. Bullies feel powerless in their own lives and seek the power that they don’t have by making another person feel badly about themselves.
A lot of schools boast a “zero tolerance for bullies,” but there are some things that schools will never know or be able to control. I believe that schools should have hallway and recess monitors, specifically to target bullying. There should not be one moment of the day where a bully believes that they are not being watched.
When a child is caught bullying, there should be serious consequences. The more we teach tolerance and the more we teach our children that we are all created equal, the less bullying will take place. Learning to be a bully usually starts at home. Let us make it end at home, as well. No bullying ever, under any circumstance. Explain to your children how important it is to always treat everyone fairly and justly. Explain to them how much strength it takes and how much strength it shows to stand for what is right even if a whole crowd of people is doing the opposite. Even if they stand alone.
Prayers are being sent out tonight, as always, for the sweetest and most gentle creatures on earth, the animals. We can learn so much from animals. Animals are not tainted by hatred, intolerance or judgement. They love unconditionally. They love with complete devotion. They are a gift to us and that is precisely how they should be treated. Sadly, this is not the case with most animals.
All over the globe, these earthly angels are being tortured and murdered, living as prisoners, unloved and unwanted. No living being should ever be treated this way. Have no doubt that God sees all things and he watches over his angels very closely.
Small changes in our diet, wardrobe and the products that we use will mean the difference between life and death for millions and millions of animals. Let us do our very best to save as many lives as possible.
No lives will go in vain. No pain will go unnoticed. Amen.
Love from,
Jessica Lee Smith,
For Sammy & Family
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