It’s time for this to end.  A little boy, only 12-years-old has been the victim of another bullying attack.   That’s right, Bailey O’Neill was only 12; he didn’t even make it to his teen years. Why does this keep escalating? Kids have the right to grow up safely. Adults need to step up and protect children. No,  not just protect children but to teach them tolerance, and dare I say it, MORE than tolerance: compassion and love. We all know kids are malleable. Every word they hear affects them-positive and negative; however unfortunately negative often shouts out louder than the positive. How do I think of it? Imagine how much white paint it would take to dilute out one drop of black paint.

Remember: every individual bullied has a family that is also impacted. Parents. Siblings. Aunts and Uncles. Cousins. And yes, friends. It’s time to look at the ripple effect.

You can read Bailey’s story here. If I understand correctly, this little boy spent his 12th birthday in a coma after the attack. Not ok. Now is the time for change.

And just a thought: if kids learn bullying behaviors during childhood and they aren’t corrected, what happens? Do we create a society of more powerful grown-up bullies?

Let’s start the change by getting educated:

If you are an adult that works with kids in any way (teacher & administrators , camp counselor, youth group, church member, etc) or heck, just an adult who cares about this generation of kids, I urge you to educate yourself and then educate the kids in your life.  Here are some ways:

• Show the Bully movie. It’s available on DVD and iTunes. Sign-up to get more information: http://www.thebullyproject.com/

• Visit this site: http://www.standforthesilent.org/ Stand for the Silent was started by a group of college kids who heard about Ty’s story. 11-year-old Ty Field-Smalley took his own life after he was suspended for retaliating against two years of bullying.  His parents actively speak about bullying and its effects.