Bullied to death

So I was reading yesterday about all these children who have been bullied, to the point where they decide to commit suicide. I think the worst case was that of Megan Meier who killed herself when her parents were still in the house. What was strange about this case was that this girl was being bullied by an adult. A parent of a child who knew Megan…a neighbour. Can you believe that?

Its sad that the people bullying her will never pay in some way for what they did. I think bullying should merit some form of punishment. Bullying that leads to suicide should definitely merit some form of punishment. I get so mad when I read these stories, and really feel for these children who feel they have nowhere else to turn to..and so end up choosing to end it all.You know the way some parents never know that their children are being bullied, do you think the parents of bullies have any inkling that their child is a little terror?

Bullying has become easier I think, and more widespread with the increased use of the internet and cell phones. I mean, when I was growing up, children of 10-12 didn’t have cell phones. Now my youngest sister is getting a phone so that “we can keep in touch”…and she’s bargaining with my parents as to colour and the features she wants..and how much will be spent on such a device. Anyhu, I digress.

I meant to talk about bullying. When I was younger, if children were being bullied, the bullying usually happened when they were in school, or out of the house. The home was a child’s safe haven. But not anymore it seems. Now this whole cyber-bullying means the bullies are right in your home. So what can parents do? Now you can access the net through your phone (I actually learnt how to use Opera Mini a few months ago..sigh…techie challenged me), so you don’t necessarily need to use a computer in the home to access Facebook accounts (otherwise referred to as the anti-christ by some of y’all), their blogs, Myspace accounts…and whatever new internet community there is. So telling parents to monitor their children when they’re on the computer doesn’t really help does it?

Random que: You know the way you can put child control on the internet sites in a computer, can you do the same with a phone?

Anyone here ever been bullied? I have never been (thank God). I’m sure you have all heard stories of kids who’ve been bullied. Especially  Kenyan high schools and the concepts of monolisation. Some of the stories were funny, like being told to fetch darkness in a bucket, make telephone calls with a shoe amongst others (I went to an all girls school so we only got to hear about these things second hand…or read about them in the Insyder..is that mag still around??)

However, sometimes the bullying got really bad. One child in my grandmother’s village died as a result of a blow he received when he was bullied. I know his mother (She’s a doctor..very nice lady) and its so sad. They’ll never be the same again. But I think in Western countries this issue of bullying has gotten worse by the minute. They are so many stories of children committing suicide because of being bullied. Which is heart breaking. So again I wonder, what can be done about it?

Moving on….one of the blogs I find interesting is written by a 12 year old (okie she might be 13 now..I dunno). I thought it was really interesting, and was shocked to discover that there are so many young children/ teens blogging and putting up photos about themselves. Their blogs are mostly about fashion hence the need for photos. Its kinda concerning that sometimes parents don’t know what is happening under their own roofs. In this world of paedophiles and other nutters, its kinda worrying to think that your child’s photos may be plastered all over the net. They don’t pose provocatively or anything, but you can never know what’s going on in a nutter’s mind..

If I’m blessed with a child, I’d like to think that I’d know what was going on in their life. Looking back at my own childhood, I know for sure that I will probably never know the details, or the little secrets that children like to keep to themselves, but the major stuff I want to be on top off (Hope… pray.. God help me please!). Now these blogs, they are not anonymous, because they post their pictures, sometimes even use their real names. So you can see how easy a blog can become a way through which bullying or nasty behaviour can happen.

As a parent, what would you do if your child was bullied? I’d be heartbroken if I found out from another source, and not my own child. I keep saying that if I found out my baby was been bullied, I’d commit some serious violence to the bully in question. Not sure how to do this and avoid some serious jail time..but where there is a will…there is a way!

Listening to:

Hunt for you- Teairra mari