Words can be as sharp as a sword

You've heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." As a kid when someone would say something mean I remember saying that to them to try and brush off what they had just said. Words may not physically give you a broken arm or leg, but they can do so much more damage to us mentally. I think the reason words today can be even more hurtful is because of the social media aspect that comes into play. Now not only are words spoken, but they are written and can never be erased, as digital footprints can last forever.

For the past year my daughter who is in middle school has been harassed by another girl in her class. The student likes to make fun of her. She talks about her looks and her smile and just about anything she can think of. The girl goes out of her way to be mean. My daughter told me about it at the end of last year and I kind of brushed it off. My daughter has good self confidence, so she knows it's not true and has continued to take it this year and would laugh it off. My daughter isn't one to be mean back and hates for kids to get in trouble, so she didn't want to say anything. After talking to a friend about the situation, I finally realized I needed to do something. I wasn't doing what was right for my daughter and there could be other students getting harassed by this child.

Even though physically my daughter wasn't being hurt, after awhile kids can only take so much. I talked to the school about the situation. My daughter is fine, and the other child was talked to, so I am hoping the situation is resolved.

What's interesting is in the past few days I have heard the message about how words can be like a sword, they do hurt and can cause damage mentally. This past month my pastor's sermon in church has been about how our tongue is one of the most powerful weapons. They can do good, but they can also do harm, and we need to be careful how we use our words. Also, in my daughter's health class they have been talking about bullying and how words hurt.

October is National Bullying Awareness month and as parents we need to talk to our kids and remind them just how much what they say can do for both good and bad and tell them to think before speaking mean things to others. If our child is being bullied they need to let us know and as parents, we should handle it right away. I know I learned a lesson and I am also am teaching my daughter to stick up for herself more. I should have done something sooner. I am fortunate the situation didn't get of control. Our kids can be nice but shouldn't be taken advantage of. If you want to learn more about more about prevention of bullying and how kids can identify bullying and stand up to it safely, go to www.stopbullying.gov.