[pauld315]

We had more fights on and off school property all through school than I could possibly enumerate. You learned not to back down or have your big brother intervene because if you didn't stand up for yourself or have somebody who could it would just cause more problems. However, as I said, it was so commonplace, I grew up thinking it was normal behavior. Every once in a while somebody would get suspended or expelled from school or end up in a juvenile detention center but nobody really thought much about it. Back then, kids generally didn't carry weapons so they were normally just fistfights and generally nobody got really hurt too bad.

[Trish Crocker]

My brother was bullied when he was in 1st grade by some 6th grade boys that lived on our street. They used to tease him, take his hat and throw it in the mud, stuff like that, until he would cry. My mom called my cousin, also a 6th grade boy. He and his friend came over and waited for the bus. When the bullies got off the bus they were waiting for them. After the butt whipping they never bothered my brother again. We need to teach our children to stand up for themselves...I'm not talking about physically (unless needed) but to feel secure enough in themselves to know that the bullying is just that..bullying.. and does not mean anything. Kids are vulnerable and get their views of themselves from their peers. When a kid is constantly sitting in front of a computer and not relating to other kids on a day to day basis they really don't know how to view who they are except by reading what others 'think' about them. As much as I love computers I really think that social media can be extremely harmful. The bullies would not be so brave if they had to actually confront their victims. Think about it, a kid could spend all day in a classroom, unsure of him/herself, not talking or sharing anything with other kids..then go home, go into their bedroom and read on Facebook about how 'everyone' hates them. It's horrible. I'm a (somewhat) confident, mature adult and if I read on Talk of the Villages that I was ugly, fat, stupid, etc..etc..and that everyone here hates me, it would be very, very hard to deal with. Anyone that is caught bullying on a computer should have their computer privileges taken away except for educational purposes.