Pastor Greg talked about Phoebe Prince in his sermon today. Phoebe is the 15-year-old Massachusetts girl who killed herself after months of being bullied. He talked about the voices we listen to and how we need to listen to the right voices.
My heart weeps for Phoebe and so many others like her who are listening to the wrong voices. Voices that tell them they are worthless or stupid or ugly or fat in an orchestrated campaign of hate.
As parents and educators and family and friends, we must speak out when we overhear these voices. We must do a better job of reaching people like Phoebe and tuning them into the right voices. Don't be fooled into thinking there is no pain because there are no physical scars. Emotional pain is sometimes difficult to detect but can be the most deadly of all.
I hope that each of you listens to the right voices and that when ugliness creeps into your life, you can drown it out and find those voices that truly matter.
For Phoebe...
My heart goes out to the family and friends of ALL bullied children.
ReplyDeleteI left quite a long comment over at Ms. Suzie Townsend's blog (Confessions of a Wandering Heart) last night about exactly this subject. If you have a spare moment pop over and read it. The boy who was terrorised finally left the town because it seemed NOBODY could do anything about the situation. The teacher involved quit her job the same evening...
I was bullied at school for some months by a gang of girls when I was 15 and it was TERRIFYING!!! I couldn't think of anything else for months. Thank Heavens it stopped though, when one of my teachers noticed the change in my performance at school and insisted on me telling her what was happening....otherwise...bear in mind that most kids who are being picked on WILL NOT TELL ANYONE - it's up to us to see the signs...
THANK YOU AGAIN BUFFY!
You're so right. We as parents have to do more about bullying. There are so many more opportunities with cell phones and Facebook. It's sad how cruel some kids can be in middle school & high school about that. Our school just had a program on that for the kids and parents. Sadly only 6 parents showed up.
ReplyDeleteWhat we bring into our mind, and make our own is so important to our well being, and it's so hard to help kids out when they are being bullied. Such a tragedy. Such a waste.
ReplyDeleteWe are working through my son getting teased at school--by a girl, and he is so sensitive to it. And the girl's parents are unresponsive to our expectation that the teasing stops. Sometimes it is the kids who appear perfect who are being mean under the radar. Words matter. We all need to be impeccable with our words!
Heather, my heart goes out to your son. Kids can be so mean.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ann Marie, sorry that you were the victim of bullying when you were a teen. Thank goodness you had a teacher who picked up that something was wrong and was there for you.
I know when I was a teen, even the smallest thing was a big deal. You don't realize until you are much older that the thing you thought was such a big deal is but a teeny tiny blip on the timeline of your life. But you just don't see that at the time. Two of my friends' sons committed suicide. One was 17 and the other 19. My heart weeps for all of these kids who couldn't see past the darkness, who were listening to the wrong voices. Anyway, thanks for reading and for commenting.