Image by Mary Ann Marcondes

I am so thankful that we are still at the life-stage where we don’t have to worry about bullying. And while I would personally like to just freeze the age Elise is right now and keep her little for awhile, I know that she has to grow up. The world that she grows up in is obviously different than the one that Dave and I were children in.

Just last night we were talking about song lyrics (and how unaware of pop music I am…)

Here are the lyrics from Rihanna’s Rude Boy

Come here rude boy, boy
Can you get it up
Come here rude boy, boy
Is you big enough
Take it, take it (yeah)
Baby, baby (yeah)
Take it, take it (yeah)
Love me, love me (yeahh)

Wait. What? Can you get it up

Are you kidding???

This plays on the radio during the day! If there are still such a thing as music videos they probably play her’s during the day too. Now, I’m not out to get Rihanna, but I think it’s easy to see that the things now considered common place in our culture, are not, uh…shall we say, appropriate?

I do remember a few kids being bullied when I was younger, but nothing like what we hear about now. Kids are being bullied every single day in schools across the country. Bullied for things that aren’t bad or wrong. Things that make us all unique and wonderful.

I don’t want Elise to worry about her complexion, weight, how smart she is, how she isn’t the best student in her class, how she has to wear glasses (sorry girl, it’s probably coming!) or why her mom won’t let her have all of the coolest clothes (don’t even get me started on what some girls wear…) And these are just a few of the superficial things that kids are bullied for. What about race, religion, economic status, disabilities? The list goes on.

Please join me in taking a stand against bullying by signing this pledge.

By signing the pledge you are committing to educate your kids about the dangers of bullying and committing to empowering them to take a stand against bullying. Together we can put an end to bullying.

To This Day is a powerful video about how bullying impacts individuals ‘to this day.’

Please share any tips or advice that you have for parents and kids dealing with bullying. Your advice can help put a stop to bullying, even just for one child.

I’d especially like to thank TakePart for sponsoring this discussion. For additional resources on how to empower kids and educational resources check out  StopBullying.gov.

Participant Media, TakePart’s parent company, produces socially relevant films with the idea that “a good story well-told can change the world.” Films such as An Inconvenient Truth, The Help, Lincoln, and Waiting for Superman have helped inspire action in a wide range of issues. TakePart aims to further those messages with quality content. In our education and social justice coverage, we’re committed to exploring important topics that impact our children.

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