"Never allow yourself to be bullied into silence.
Never allow yourself to be made into a victim.
Accept no one's definition of your life.
Define Yourself".
Harvey Fierstein
This quote hit me this week. How many times have I allowed myself to be bullied into silence, simply because no one else is speaking out. Life can be uncomfortable. It can be hard. We all have our crosses to bear. But I am hoping that I do not make anyone else's cross any heavier than it is already.
I think that my Heavenly Father would want me to lighten their burdens, not weigh them down with more difficulties. So, I continue to ask myself, am I a bully? Or am I a comforter? I hope that I never allow another person to suffer because I choose not to speak out.
I have known that my girls have been bullied. I have tried to stop it. It is so much harder to fix when it is accepted by others around them.
I just have to love the parents who say, "I know that my child would never behave that way", when I saw it happen. Basically, they are calling me a liar. Or the ones who say, "that is part of growing up". I hope that none of us stand by and watch while someone is bullied.
And parents, if another parent comes to you, please listen. Don't get defensive just because it is your child. Children and adults can be so cruel. They can say things and do things that are very much bullying behavior, and yet they think they are standing up for something. Just because you don't agree with me, doesn't make it alright to spread rumors, lies or half truths about me.
That makes you part of the problem and not part of the solution, (just saying). So, this week, lets all make a stand and agree not to be a bully. Even if you think you are right, let's make a stand to allow others the opportunity to disagree. Define yourself, not everyone else.
1000 Blessings.
26. Airplanes to
bring me closer to family that is far away.
27. Good counselors who help me cope with the difficulties.
28. My husband’s
willingness to drive three hours one way to take me to the airport.
29. Only a 15 minute
wait at security.
30. Parents who
believe me when my child is having problems with their child.
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an important message; thank you for sharing it. I have a family member that we disgree often. I finally solved it by telling her that we would agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteBlessing!
I was looking around your blog and happened to see this. How ironic since I had just written about my teenage bullying experience. The same thing happened (as you know from reading my FMF) to me. No one stood up against the bullies. Even some of the parents my mom had contacted didn't care. It's crazy! I am too much of an activist to stand back and watch that sort of crap happen. Thanks for taking a stand against it in your post. It's an important issue that people need to be involved in.
ReplyDelete