Today I read about two teenage boys and my heart broke into pieces. First I read about a 13-year-old boy from Texas named, Asher Brown who killed himself after being bullied for many different reasons but mostly because he was gay. Asher took his own life using his father’s gun on September 23. This was so upsetting to me and I stopped and couldn’t stop thinking about this little boy. Soon after I read about Seth Walsh, 13, from Tehachapi, CA, attempted suicide on September 19th by hanging himself and was hospitalized in critical condition until this week.
Sadly, Seth died on Monday. Seth was also bullied for being gay.
Now I am just angry, I want to sit and cry for these boys and their families. I also want to start off by saying that bullying is WRONG on so many levels. Picking on someone because they are different in any way is just not OK. Gay or straight, too fat or too skinny, geeky or slow, autistic or different, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what it is, bullies will find a reason to pick on a child. Every day a child id bullied in a school probably that your child goes to and it needs to stop, today. Parents I urge you to talk to you your kids about bullying on all levels, and students talk to each other about who the bullies are, stand up and make a difference by telling an adult that can help.
I was picked on all the time and I tell you no matter what it was they were picking on it always hurt. Most of the time I got bullied for being chubby, but even when I was skinny they found something, my name was to different, I was to hyper and silly, I talked to much, I wasn’t coordinated, the list goes on and on, it was tough being a kid and I wouldn’t go back and do it again for anything in the world. I was so insecure and it was stressful just to go to school each day. Parents talk to your children and open up the lines of communication on bullying. Being different now is the best thing in the world but then it was the worst.
As far as the LGBT community, well it is hard enough for a child to come out to friends and family and whether you support the decision or not isn’t the case here, it’s that this child has every right to embrace and love who he or she is. No child should be bullied or picked on because of his or her sexual orientation so talk to your children about that to, you don’t have to agree but you do have to educate its your job as a parent.
I wish I had the financing to take the next year off and go into every school in the country and talk about bullying it breaks my heart that children are taking their lives and never getting the chance to see what I have grown to see, that it all works out in the end. Please talk to a child today and make a difference.
Xoxo
k
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