A solid base is what we need to build. A confident child/athlete who has a clear understanding that some people may try to tear them down. Bullying is a fact of life and with our “over sensitive” society today, some kids are reacting in extreme, harmful ways. We can’t, as educators, coaches and parents, allow this.
We have to talk about bullying with our kids. We have to talk about children being mean to other children. This has happened for years and years and years. This is not new.
Life is precious. Lesson #1 for our kids. There is nothing, nothing so important that a child hurts herself. They can’t disappoint their parents enough to warrant hurting themselves. There is nothing at school, nothing in a relationship or nothing at home that is so serious that warrants hurting themselves. Yes, rules will be broken and a poor grade could come along. Yes, the boy friend could be a jerk and the future could look clouded but nothing, nothing is so serious that warrants them hurting themselves.
There is always hope. There is always more to live for. There have to believe that there are people in their lives who they can talk to. Confide in. Explain how they are feeling. And they have to know that there are solutions. Kids who are desperate, without hope, can turn to extreme solutions to their perceived problems. They have to be taught to fight through the despair and hopelessness. This is where “internally strong” young people can successfully handle these situations.
When we raise “soft” kids is where we run into trouble. When we raise pampered children we are looking for trouble. When we think the goal is to make the child happy every minute is where we aren’t preparing them for the tough times that show up in everybody’s life. When we shield them from the negatives that may surface in life is where we make them ill-prepared for what they may face. We have to talk about many issues that are uncomfortable but which give our kids some reference for dealing with these issues.
We have to have “conversations with our kids” on the tough “life can be difficult” subjects. Don’t shy away from these important “preparation for life” subjects.
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