ourkids
sticks and stones Put the Brakes on Bullying
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by Kelly Soderlund
B
ully is a term that seems ubiquitous these days, a catch phrase—trendy even. Yet, rarely does a term elicit such a fervent response from parents of school-aged children…and it’s probably because we’ve all been there. When I was in elementary school, a classmate in my circle of friends refused to invite me to her events, would bring gifts for everyone besides me and single me out incessantly, leading to many a night crying. Later, in junior high, that same girl was given a note by our slightly larger group of girlfriends, telling her she was no longer welcome in the circle and to find new friends. I still remember how broken she looked sitting on the grass, sobbing. I was glad I didn’t sign the note. I’m now a mother in my 30s and can recall when “bully” was just a part of the growing-up lexicon—something to be dealt with, a right of passage, if you will. But what if the popular ideology was wrong? Was I “bullied” by today’s standards? Was she? And, perhaps the most confounding question of all: Would things have been different if social media had been a part of the equation? September 2014 - stylefedh.com 33