Guest Author - Robin Rounds Whittemore

This article has nothing to do with Teddy Roosevelt or his spirited cry. In this article, the word “bully” means someone who intimidates anything smaller and weaker. Not all acts of bullying involve actual physical harm. Verbal abuse or harassment, as in domestic violence, applies to the term bully as well.

You remember the one kid in class that everyone picked on until he or she got crying? Well they were the target and the kids doing the picking were the bullies. What about the children that stood by and did nothing? They were the ones that didn’t want to become the next target.

When you watched the movie, “A Christmas Story”, starring Peter Billinglsey, Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon, you saw the bully with the last name of Farkus. He was the one who constantly terrorized the youngsters on their way to and from school. Finally, our hero had enough and pummeled the bully in a fight.

In the movie, “The Good Witch”, a youngster by the name of Brandon is being bullied by Kyle. He goes to Cassie for help and she gives him an amethyst rock. Brandon is to do four things with that rock in his possession. Brandon is to spend 5 minutes with Kyle, get Kyle to meet Brandon’s dad, get Kyle to touch the rock, and then return it to her. What she is really trying to get Brandon to do is show the Kyle a sign of friendship; that is where the 5 minutes comes in to play. Getting Kyle to meet Brandon’s policeman father is also a good idea. He realizes that Kyle may be in a bad home situation and arranges for Kyle to live with his grandparents. The rest with the rock is all for show. It all works out for the best. We see a more relaxed, normal boy when Kyle comes back for a visit.

No one has to meet face to face with a bully anymore if that is the way the bully chooses to carry out his intimidation. Bullying can be carried out via the internet, text messages, instant messaging, online gaming, videos, etc. Children have been known to get so upset that they have committed suicide.


If your child encounters a bully:
Your child needs to open up about the situation. They may feel embarrassed or ashamed about the whole thing. Get as much information about the situation as you can. Encourage your child to speak up and tell what happened, when it started, how many are involved, etc.

You have the law on your side. Allow the police to do their job and investigate the situation.

Many of the school shootings have found to be the work of victims of bullying and being ostracized by other students. The young boys who shot students at Columbine in Colorado were examples of this.

If your child needs to defend themselves, you could enroll them in a karate class or other activity of that type. It would improve their self-confidence even if they never come face to face with a bully.


If your child is the bully:
Do not ignore the problems. This is not “just a phase”. It needs to be addressed and help sought immediately.

Sometimes children feel they do not meet expectations in the outside world and need to feel competent, important and in control.

Discuss the situation and allow your child to tell you what has been happening. Try to find out when it started. Perhaps you can find the underlying cause. Was there a rift or change in the family structure about the time that the actions started?

There are many programs in schools to help both bullies and the bullied. Take advantage of the programs that are out there. If you do not know whether or not your school has such a program, call and inquire. If they don’t, see what you can do to get one started. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Bullying doesn’t only exist in schools. Bullies and victims can be male or female. Bullying can occur anywhere there are people that feel superior. This can mean schools, churches, neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. Bullying even goes on between countries.