National Bully Prevention Month

This past weekend during the VS Community Fest, a mom came up to me telling me that her daughter, a middle school student, was bullied last year. What was alarming to me is that the school pretty much didn't do much about it. Mom was livid. Me? I would be as well.

It seems that these days the school's policies are more in favor of the bully and not the bullied -- that needs to be changed. Yes, every child deserves a free education, but they also deserve a free education in a safe environment.

I'm glad that I haven't had to deal with my children being bullied, but I do know bullying starts at a young age these days. What are these kid's problems? Low self-esteem? Is it a defense mechanism of some sort? Boredom? What is it?

I was bullied in high school by my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. For her it was jealousy. I didn't have to do anything to the girl. It was her insecurity and jealousy that caused her to bully me. Poor thing. She eventually stopped and no one was harmed physically or mentally.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has a great website to help parents spot the signs of bullying, risk factors and more. You should definitely check it out.

Do you know your school's policy on bullying? If not, it's time to find out.