Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I actually remember at least 2 times I was "bullied" in my elementary years.  They both involved things being said to me that were unkind.I won't go into what happened, but it really hurt my feelings, and made me feel like people didn't like me.  I probably kept that feeling well into high school.   I remember telling my children the first of each school year to watch and if they saw someone, especially a new student in the school, that seemed lonely or ignored by others, to be sure and befriend them. The Worth of Souls and the Problem of Bullying By Jonathan Cox Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at Brigham Young University By teaching our children the appropriate principles and skills, we can help them avoid being bullied—or becoming bullies themselves. Photo illustration by David Stoker In this dispensation, the Lord made it clear in a revelation to the Prophet  Joseph Smith  that “the worth of souls is great in ...

This was in our local newspaper  The Spectrum  on Jan. 24, 2015.  It sounded like it may have some good ideas for anyone who has had their child bullied.  I know that when we were raising children, our children had problems at times.  I even remember being either made fun of, or a type of bullying myself, over 70 years ago.  But today it seems to be more prevalent perhaps.  I hope this gives you good ideas. 13 signs your child might be getting bullied Question:  I have a problem with how to handle a situation that’s happening with my child at school. He is in first grade and claims to be being bullied. Well, he doesn’t say he’s “being bullied,” he says that kids are mean to him and no one likes him. It breaks my heart. My son is in a phase where he complains a lot about school and he tends to be kind of negative or pessimistic about things. This has me worried, but I don’t know if it’s because he’s being picked on or if he’s being treated li...

It makes me sad to acknowledge this happened to one of our children, who is still inactive after 25 years.   We didn't know about it at the time. This came from LDS Living. The Sad Truth About Bullying at Church KELSEY BERTEAUX - 17 HOURS AGO Church is supposed to be a safe place for our children. Bullying is something that only happens at school, right? Unfortunately, there’s a sad truth behind bullying at church. “Do you know where your daughter is?” It’s a heart-stopping question when you don’t know the answer. And the statement that followed it was one that Judy Wells wasn’t prepared for:  “Her school friends are telling us that she is planning on committing suicide. We are sending a unit over to your home right now.” What could have possibly sent such a vibrant and beautiful teenage girl so close to the edge? Wells’s daughter was standing on the roof of her home and contemplating jumping because she was being bullied. By the youth in her ward. “The...

I very recently read a comment from a woman in Dear Abby, in our local paper.  She wrote: You said in your Nov. 14 column on bullying that you hadn't received a single letter from anyone who had bullied others.  Well I was a bully.   As a young girl I'd tease and taunt, and when I was older, I used sarcasm as a way to bully.   I was involved in an abusive relationship in my 20s.  With support and counseling, I was able to stop being abused and being abusive. I learned the feelings I had repressed -- shame, fear and low self-worth from a childhood of abuse, were misdirected at the people around me instead of at my abuser, as they should have been. I read an article in the Ensign Magazine, in August, 2013, which really impressed me.  I have occasionally used sarcasm, and also had it used on me, and I've seen it do a lot of damage to other's self confidence.  Below are excerpts from this article called "No Corrupt Communication", by Jennif...