Teasing Gone Too Far

I just read an extremely sad article in the People magazine. The story itself was heartbreaking but the worst part was the reality of the situation: kids are bullied all the time, but sometimes it can lead to death.

It seems impossible to me that kids could have such a negative impact on a person that it would lead them to kill themself. In this case, it was a pretty, popular, smart, funny, outgoing, kind-to-everyone 15 year-old girl. She had it all. And that's what made her a target. Jealous girls had found their victim. And this victim lacked one thing: self-esteem. They ganged up on her, calling her terrible names whenever they saw her at school and posted nasty messages online. It got to the point where this once bubbly girl was always sad. A couple of her friends noticed and were worried, but not enough to do something about it. No one stood up for her. And the result was her committing suicide. Now her mom, dad, and sister are grieving at this horrible loss. And those bullies that indirectly did this to her, will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. Live with the fact that they drove this girl to kill herself. That she's dead because of what they said.

I hope that guilt hits home in bullies everywhere. You may think that you're just having some fun when you're poking fun at someone. But you never know how seriously they're taking it. They may feel that no one in the world cares about them and then you say one mean thing to them, even jokingly, and that's it. :( :( Think before you speak!!! Think about the consequences of what you're about to say before you say it! And seriously, grow a pair, and stand up for people when kids when they're getting picked on! Obviously if you can tell it's some buddies joking around, don't embarrass yourself by breaking it up, but have a heart! It may seem easier to just turn around, walk away, and ignore it, but you've got to be better than that.