Bullying

I recently watched a video done by the LDS church on bullying.  Growing up I was either immune or completely naive to the bullying that takes place in childhood and adolescence.  Sure I remember being picked on as a kid by my older siblings, and a few kids back in the 2nd grade but was for the most part harmless.  

There were two brothers that use to pick on me starting at age 9 who lived across the street.  They would tell me things like I ate too much, made fun of me about my looks and one time one of them even kicked me in the stomach while we were on the monkey bars.  My brother gave him a pink belly for that, but I don't remember the teasing and annoyances stopping until the spring after I turned 12.  I saw them all the time, but I think I was able to get over it because of my parents and their support.   Soon after my body changed and suddenly I wasn't a little girl anymore.  After that they left me alone, and the only teasing I received was from the older one who was friends with my sister.  He would always ask me when we were gonna go on a date.    It wasn't until I was older that I realized he was half joking, half serious.

I forget sometimes how severe bullying can be....some kids are bullied their whole lives.  I was recently listening on a conversation my Bishop's wife and my neighbor were having about the bullying going on in their children's class at school.  They mentioned one little boy who seems to be a major culprit and then started to lament on how bad they felt for him because of the rough childhood he has had.  I think it's great when parents can sometimes see both sides to things.  Some parents are ridiculous and even encourage it.  Furthermore, some just look the other way and say it's apart of life.  I recently saw this video done by Mormon Messages that brought tears to my eyes about bullying:

It reminded me about how difficult growing up can be, even when you are around those with high morals.  I realize that even as adults we can bully one another.  How many times have I found myself innocently gossiping about a neighbor, friend, or family member?   How many times have I heard that someone has judged or said something about me.......and allowed it to really bring me down.  Even as an adult I'm sensitive to what others do and say about me.  So the words in this video and actions there help me to want to be a little bit better each day towards my brothers and sisters.