Do you remember that movie entitled, "Mean Girls" ?
Or have you recently watched, read or encountered something about kids being mean to other kids, or kids bullying other kids?
Last weekend, during the BESA gathering a Nette just shared some sad news about teenagers, taking their own life, four of which used the train tracks as the medium of their suicide.
It did not help that last week, there were two special features shown in the primetime news about teenagers, again, taking their own life, because of cyber bullying.
And this week, after working for three straight days, I saw with my very own eyes, how the threat of bullying (or meanness) and its effect to kids, is very real.
Example, last Tuesday while doing lunch duty, I saw a Yr 3 girl crying. I approached her and asked her what was wrong, she told me that "____ and _____ are my only real friends here in school, and now, they just told me that they don't want me as a friend anymore."
I could have easily told her to don't mind them or to stop crying, because that is just so petty! Knowing myself, I could have easily felt so annoyed with the reason she gave me. But the recent news and as a parent whose eldest child already goes to pre-school, I can't help but feel sorry for the kid. How can other kids be so mean? I am an adult. It may look and sound petty for me, but for that poor child, it was one big rejection! It was one big blow for her!
No wonder, kids nowadays do all crazy stuff just as so they can get accepted. And when rejected, they feel it's already the end of the world. Sadly, for some, it was indeed the end of their world.
It's sad and scary for me.
A few nights ago, Alvin and I were actually discussing why bullying is just rampant nowadays. Maybe because teachers can't discipline kids nowadays like during our time? Maybe because of some factors like family or culture? Technology is not helping too! We are worried, but more than that, we are praying, that both our kids will be spared from such meanness.
Even if we want to protect our kids and be with them 24/7, that is impossible.
Alvin and I know that we can only do so much. All we can do is to continue to help them and teach them values in life -- confidence, self-love, self-respect, respect for others, resiliency, to always choose to be happy and of course, to have faith.
It's really a scary and crazy world out there. We hope and pray that by the time both our kids are ready to conquer it, we have prepared them well.
Looking at both of them now, we are very thankful that both of them have happy dispositions.
