O-mama - Opinionated Moms

Photo Ridgewood Patch

Four teenage boys have committed suicide in the last month because they were taunted, bullied and abused by their peers.  Two hung themselves; one shot himself and the most recent jumped to his death.  Rutgers freshman, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide by jumping off of a bridge after a sexual encounter with another man was posted on the Internet by two other students.

New Jersey State Senator, Frank Lautenberg, is calling for a code of conduct to prohibit bullying and harassment on college and university campuses.  The measure would require schools that receive federal student aid to have policies in place prohibiting harassment, and would provide funding for schools to have anti-bullying programs in place, reports the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, celebrities like Jessica Simpson and Ellen DeGeneres are lending a voice to raise awareness of cyber bullying.

MOMism: “Don't be a bully.”  Stealing lunch money, giving wedgies, calling someone a dork, etc., meanies have been around since the beginning of time.  Every playground always has a least one kid, with some random insecurity, that takes out his frustrations on other kids.  The bully feels better tearing down someone else.  It is about power and control.  When someone feels out-of-control (maybe bullied by his/her own parents, has difficulty in school or any number of reasons), they look for something...or someone...that can empower them. 

Remember the days when the playground and the route home were the only places a bully could harass you?  Today's bullies are much more pervasive.  With the advent of social networking, bullies are everywhere...kids cannot hide....they do not feel safe in their own rooms.  The internet is a great tool, but it can also be used as a weapon to hurt, taunt, damage and kill.  It’s up to us to teach our kids personal boundaries, to respect other's privacy and show them correct conduct in all aspects of their lives.  They need to respect the power of the internet - both the good and the bad - and understand that there are consequences to every post.  MAMAs are in charge of building our kids' character…and making sure they feel empowered to the right things, not the wrong ones.