Stamp out school bullying

THE EDITOR: It's an issue that most of us can relate to. Once you attended a large enough school or were allowed to cavort in public out of the watchful gaze of a parent or guardian, chances are that you have been the victim of bullying.

Think back to when you were growing up and to those select few children who would always tease you. If you got a bad haircut or if you wore clothes that were not hip enough - they were always there to poke fun at you. And to make you feel badly about who you are. Sometimes, we were reduced to tears. Other times, we become enraged and hit out.

Even though it was referred to as 'teasing', we were actually the victims of something far more sinister. We were the victims of bullying. We were bullied. And though it helped shape us into more compassionate versions of ourselves, the scars, even now, are still there. If anything, the world has changed little since I was young. And the problem of 'bullying' among children and teenagers has gotten much worse

Decades after my own personal experiences with bullying, I am now as a parent, forced to confront the problem once again. I am of the personal view that we should raise children to be kind, to exercise empathy, and to be helpful and nurturing. I have done this consistently with my children. And today I appeal to other parents to instill the same personal values in their children and teens.

The research has shown us consistently that children raised with values such as empathy and tolerance grow up to be more productive adults with a smaller likelihood of having issues with the law. They are better at problem-solving. They are less likely to be abusers and are known to be more adaptive to changes to their circumstances and surroundings.

Children aren’t teased anymore they are beaten up emotionally and torn apart in front of their peers. The result is a generation that is socially awkward and chronically depressed.

In a world that is characterized by instant gratification and short, rapid news cycles, we parents need to band together to if not spare our children the harsh lessons of the unforgiving world on our doorstep, to best equip them with the emotional and intellectual tools that will help them weather every storm.

That "equipping" begins with thorough socialization among peers who are kind, not cruel; nurturing, not abusive; humane, not inhumane. It may be a tough, difficult world out there, but the act of growing up does not need to be that way.

Shasteen Clarke, Diego Martin