Now I am not certain that this boy really intended to "go through with it," but that is besides the point. No person, boy, girl, man, woman should ever feel that suicide is the answer. My son tells me that this young man is depressed and is harassed a lot for being "different" and he is called names such as retarded on a regular basis by many of his peers in their class. He and his friends met with the school counselor this afternoon to talk things through and I am glad that the school administration and his teacher handled things quickly.
I hate to say it, but the use of mean and hateful words are so common these days. You see it on t.v., in movies, music, the internet, as well as hear classmates, friends and family members use derogatory terms on a regular basis. Retard, gay, and bitch, homo, and slut are just the tip of the iceberg or words that are used to harass, hurt and ridicule people and it isn't okay.
ITS NOT OKAY.
These words are never justified. Ever. As a parent I worry about my boys and this afternoon I took some time to remind my son about the importance of kindness and love.
It is important to remember that no matter what you are called or how often you are bullied that you are loved. I am so thankful that this young man reached out to my son and his friends today. Always remember, your parents love you. Your brothers and sisters love you. Your grandparents love you. Your friends love you. Your teachers love you. There is always someone there to help you - all you have to do is reach out to them and they will be there for you.
Remember............
YOU ARE LOVED.
8 comments:
This is happening more and more often everywhere!!! It is a wonderful thing that the school took appropriate action quickly. Let's ope that will be the end of it!
Bullying is usually the cause of children/teenager suicide. It is just too sad!!
It just brings me to tears to think that there are children thinking about suicide. Thank God he talked to your son and his friends. And it says alot about you and the other boys' moms, that your sons had the good sense, at their young age, to talk to an adult.
Thank goodness this child spoke to his friends and they knew to go to an adult. It sounds like the school is taking care of things. You must be very proud of your son for how he handled this. I hope the kids are all OK.
Annette
Thos post has me in tears, when my oldest son hit middle school his life becamse a living hell because of "bullies".....he begged me not to go to school, we tried the school counselor, talking to teachers, etc and it didn't really help....I truly believe this led him on a 10 year journey into hell with drugs and alcohol....anything to dull the pain. He is a happy, healthy adult now, but those ten years tore me and my husband hearts right out! He often wished himself dead.....and all of the interventions and psych help did little as he would not open up....I lived in constant fear of losing him forever......Bullying needs to be dealt with MUCH stronger than it is.....the parents also need to be help just as accountable! So many kids nowdays have no parents, just people they live with that work all the time......thank you for this post....and please know it can end up so much worse than this did....I thank God he talked to someone!
Tears stream down. It isn't right and I am so glad that your son and his friends were there to help him out. You must be so proud of your son.
Amen to this. When my son was seven years old and he gets teased more than his friends and I heard him once say he didn't think he should be alive. WHERE do kids GET this???? It wasn't from our house, or TV, so it must be other kids. And that's horrible.
My love for him and my care for his classmates has made me a more constant presence on the playground after school, playing not only with my son but the other kids instead of sitting around chatting with other moms. I may not have many "mom" friends, but I hear and see more and I've had more fun -- and when the kids get to know that the parents care about their kids, I think maybe they're more apt to think twice before using hurtful words.
I may have said too much and offended someone but I really, really didn't mean to do that.
And YOU & YOUR SON are awesome! I taught for 22 YEARS and heard that sort of bullying more often than I can say. I am a mother hen and did what I could, but one person CANNOT be everywhere. Today, the nasty terms are so prevalent, & with the internet, MUCH more quickly spread. THANK YOU - truly - THANK YOU, Sarah. You ARE a hero. Your SON is a hero. We need to ALL be heroes and not let any child - any PERSON - entertain the thought of suicide. I hope that young man gets some help to feel better about himself, and to understand that HE is not the 'damaged' one. It's the people SAYING those things, & the ones who HEAR it and say NOTHING who are the problem.
i am with you wholeheartedly !! bless you son (and his buddies) for telling !!! what a bright boy to know the right thing to do..he just may have saved his friend's life...if not now...perhaps in the future.....kiss him for me !
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