Bully: My Heart Just Broke But Something Has To Change

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I really had to write about this for two reasons: 1) the subject matter is very close to home; and 2) the movie I watched just made shook the core of me. I watched a movie on Netflix (if you are a member, I recommend you watch this with your children) called Bully by Lee Hirsch.  When I watched the entire documentary, I cried several times. I was so overwhelmed with emotion about how cruel children can be to other children.

It was despicable to see our adult ideologies manifested into our children – the way we think, what we do, how we treat others and each other….when you see how much our behaviors influence and impact the way our children think and act you would be surprised and ashamed. The movie, Bully by, starts off with the story of a young man who committed suicide because of the bullying he sustained in junior high school. Tyler Long received some physical abuse but this young man endured such mental, social and psychological abuse until one day he took his own life to be free from the pain, hurt and frustration of never being accepted outside of his family. He only wanted to be treated like other kids were treated, to have friends, to be liked and not picked on or treated with intentional malicious and hate just because he was a little different from what people/society considers, “normal!”

I had so many feelings go through me during my viewing of the movie. Being a mother, I often wonder how my children are treated in school and if they are victims or if they are victimizers. During junior high and high school, I have been on both ends of the spectrum. I was the victim in junior high and when I was fed up (like a lot of these children) I became the victimizer. In either case, the behavior is negative and is causing so many kids to take lives – their own; those of the bullies or the bully will cause the death of the child.

Bullying is a serious problem and now with social media being used as another tool to hurt, intimidate, threaten, and damage children bullying has taken on a new face, has a larger platform and encourages even those who may not know the victim to join in the torment of a kid whose only seeking acceptance for his/her peers. No seems to give the matter the true attention it requires. Teachers and school officials seemingly feel their hands are tied (in some cases) but for most they feel it is something all children go through or the problem should be worked out among the students involved or there really isn’t a big problem with bullying in our school—however, the number of children committing suicide grows and the age group is getting younger and younger.

The media only covers an instance of bullying when the tragedy is heavily followed by a mass number of people who refuse to allow their loved one die in vain – my cousin, Bobby Tillman, was among those who received international media attention and while his mother fights for legislation to impose stiffer penalties on parents and children who victimize others many other kids are suffering across the nation the mental, physical and psychological abuse of their peers without any support, feeling alone and abandon by the very society who should be protecting them from being harmed. Parents cannot be with their children all day every day, mothers and fathers should not have to worry whether their sons and daughters will return home from school with a broken arm, black eye or mentally anguished. No child should fake illness to escape the dangers of those waiting to unleash malicious and viral commentary, spit at them, push them into lockers, or create situations where the child will be scrutinized, ridiculed, laughed at, etc. No family should have to wonder if one morning they will wake up to find a note and the body of a precious soul who could no longer stand the pains of this world and decided to enter into the gates of heaven than to endure another moment of being tortured….

Until next time my darlings, put this ingredient in your life mix and continue to follow Ms. Nix In the Mix….

Ms. Nix

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