Bullying: What can you do?

Hi gang. Obviously I’m not a first-time mum. But I am a parent. Jo asked me to pop on over and chat about bullying. And I’m prepared to scream from the rafters about my message.

Stuart West

Unfortunately, I’m somewhat of an expert in the field of bullying. As a high-schooler (many years ago! Not telling how many.) I was bullied. I was an overweight kid, not popular, apparently a prime target for bullying. I seriously feared for my safety for three years. I was punched, tripped, ridiculed, beaten, the whole nine yards. It tore me up, but I survived.

Survival. Not something you’d expect a high school kid to worry about. But I did. Many others still do. My grandmother told me “high school years are the best days of your life.” Love you grandma, but you lied.

In the last couple of years, I was witness to my daughter going through bullying in her high school years. It was a different type of bullying, but heart-wrenching, none-the-less. She wasn’t in physical danger, but she was excluded from gatherings, name-called, cybernetically picked on. As a father, it killed me to watch her go through it.

Now, listen up, first-time mums, ‘cause I’m here to help.

Don’t let your child be bullied.

What can you do?

Talk to your child. Communication’s key. Let them know you’re a safe haven.

More importantly, tell them to contact an understanding teacher at school. This is one of the biggest problems. There’s an attitude kids have that they gotta’ have “hallway cred.” They don’t want to “rat” on someone. It’d be uncool. I had that attitude, most kids do. But, it must stop.

Let your children know it’s fine to tell an adult about abhorrent behavior. Let’s let them know it’s okay to tell the truth about bullying idiots. If they don’t, the behavior will continue, an endless cycle.

I’m doing my part. I wrote a book about bullying. It’s a Young Adult paranormal thriller, meant as entertainment. But, the bullying aspects—the ugly, cruel, violent details…they happened. Every bullying incident in the book is true. My friend from high school still doesn’t have the full function of his hand because of an ugly, violent bullying incident.

Read the book, share it with your children, spread the word. http://www.amazon.com/Tex-The-Witch-Boy-ebook/dp/B00B3U5OWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361812773&sr=8-1&keywords=tex+the+witch+boy

And drop me a line if I can help.

By Stuart West. "After working as a graphic and production artist for the last 23 years, the company for which I labored shuttered its doors, finally allowing me the time and mental energy to tackle something that I'm passionate about. 

“Tex, The Witch Boy” is my first novel and the first in a trilogy dealing with topical teen issues. The second book, "Tex And The Gangs Of Suburbia," will be out via MuseItUp Publishing in July.

I'm married to a professor of pharmacy (who greatly appreciates that I now prepare dinner for her) and have a 20 year old daughter, who hasn’t yet decided what to do with her life. But that’s okay…it took me 25 years or longer."