The Washington Post carried a story “A birthday party in VA. for a teen whose torment has ended.” read more>>
The line that haunts me most in the recent story “A birthday party in VA. for a teen whose torment has ended” is “For those left behind, a world of could-haves and should-haves.” I am always looking for books with bullies, because bullies are part of growing up. As the author Mary Stolz once wrote: “The essential thing with a bully is they’re unhappy.” Parents reading to children and talking with them about the issues through a book is an integral part of the solution to a most disturbing and growing phenomenon. We need to have those conversations before a child becomes a bully, a bystander that allows bullying, or the victim of bullying. I suggest you have those conversations before you “need them.”
Some conversation starters:
• Are you born a bully?
• Do boys and girls bully in the same way?
• Why does a person become a bully?
• Where do you learn to be a bully?
• Did you ever meet a happy bully?
• Do bullies have genuine friends?
