02/10/2024
"I’m heartbroken. Last week, a 12-year-old girl—just 12 years old—ended her life because of relentless bullying. I can barely breathe thinking about it. Can you even imagine? As a parent, my heart aches in a way I can't describe. I can’t even begin to fathom what her family is going through. The weight of that loss is unbearable.
And yet... here I am, looking at social media over the past 48 hours, and I’m angry. Angry because this tragedy isn’t an isolated event. Angry because I see people—grown adults—setting the worst example for the very kids we’re meant to protect.
I’ve watched people film others in the gym to mock them. Making fun of someone who’s just trying to show up for themselves. I’ve seen people with children tear others apart online just because they dared to have a different opinion.
Our kids are watching. They see everything. Every cruel comment. Every hateful video. Every act of disrespect. They’re learning from us. From the way we bully each other. From the way we attack strangers behind a screen.
How did we get here?
Is it any wonder we have a bullying crisis in our younger generation? When adults are out here treating each other like this? When their role models are showing them it’s okay to laugh at someone’s pain or shame them for trying?
It starts at home. It starts with the parents, with the adults. WE set the standard. It’s time to take responsibility for what we’re teaching our kids. We owe them a better world than this. A world where kindness, respect, and empathy are the norm, not the exception.
Enough is enough. For the kids who feel so trapped, so hopeless, they see no way out. For every child who thinks bullying is normal. It’s on us to do better. We have to. We MUST."