Jen’s theme this week is something creative. You can add you link and view other blog gems by clicking on the diamond. My post is an updated post about why I love writing fiction. You can view it by clicking here.
Blessed and Grateful in Hawaii 24
Last night was a sleepless night at our home as we gathered our water and checked our hurricane supplies in preparation for the Tsunami. Yet, we are still very blessed. While the first appearance of the bare reef off Diamond Head caused fear, Oahu only had minor damage to our boat harbors. Maui and the Big Island had more damage, but still minor compared to Japan.
I am also aware of how fortunate I am to have so many people who care about me. Many of my follow bloggers, old friends, and family reached out via Facebook and e-mail to offer prayers and/ or good wishes as they held my family in their thoughts. My family called me first thing this morning to make sure we are okay. I am grateful for all of those who reached out.
Hawaii is truly blessed as we were spared devastation from a Tsunami. I know many of you have already seen footage of Japan. I ask that you continue to send them prayers. Many in Hawaii have family in Japan and many Japanese are frequent visitors here, so their loss will be felt here as well.
With Much Gratitude and Aloha,
Sue
Dateline Confronts Bullying Behavior? 6
Myna birds squawk and sound like they are trying to cause trouble in many backyards in Hawaii, and they seem to travel in pairs like some bullies, so I am using them as my bully picture of the day.
I’m not sure how many of you watched Dateline Sunday night, “My Kids Would Never…Bully” after I tweeted it on Friday, but I watched it and loved it. Two of the bystanders were very brave and spoke up and defended the victim and then continued to defend the victim when the bullying got worse. Yay Lilly and Isaiah!!!!!!! Others joined in once one person spoke up. We really need more of this. Others also made efforts to support the victim, but some were not forceful enough for it to make a difference. Bystanders really can make a difference when they are firm and persistent!!!!
I also loved that they emphasized that adults set the tone and actually showed how bad coaching or really any bad authority figure can contribute to escalating bullying and more people joining the bully. Of note, one girl, who admitted liking Gossip Girl style was easily pulled into joining the bullies. This brings home a point I made in a previous posts about watching mean girl shows. You can read it here. One of the boys was also drawn into helping the bullies, but this was after the bad example set by the “coach” of observing the bullying and then not doing anything to help and in fact making it worse.
Another nice thing they did that I love is they gave links to sites with more information to take action against the bullying. I also love that Rosalind Wiseman emphasized the importance of the bystander speaking up and being assertive and firm rather than being kind when confronting the bully. The guy from the Hetrick-Martin Institute also pointed out that calling someone “gay” has become the new way to bully even when the victim is not “gay.” This happens on sports teams and at school.
The resources they listed are: http://rosalindwiseman.com
http://hmi.org (This is the Hetrick-Martin Institute who were also on the show to help.)
http://glsen.org (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network)
Do you have examples of bad teachers, coaches, parents, or other adults contributing to the bullying?
Inspiration for Forgiveness 12
©DelightfullyDifferentLife.com
Immaculee Ilibagiza is the wonderful woman who inspired me to learn to forgive. I got the chance to hear her speak and to meet her four years ago, and I encourage any of you who have the chance to hear her speak to go. I wrote a blog post about this back in September. You can click here if you missed it.
Today, I found a wonderful article about her that explains how hard forgiveness was initially for her too. You can read it by clicking on the link below.
Delightfully Different Life 