Two girls charged in suicide of bullied classmate

1.    New York Times. (2013, October 16).  Two teen girls charged in suicide of bullied classmate.  Houston Chronicle, A4.

2.    Category of problem:  Health

3.    Level of problem:  Local / national level

4.    The article concerns:  Two teen girls have been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the death of a 12 year old girl they had repeatedly bullied.

5.    Why is this important to families / individuals OR how does it affect individuals / families?

a.    Bullying in schools and online has come into the national spotlight over the last few years.  Finding a way to deal with the harassment is a predicament for both the children and their parents.

6.    What are your views on the issue / policy?

a.    Bullying by one person or group of people over others has been around for eons.  Some consider it a mischievous right-of-passage, while others consider it something all-together more serious, even criminal.  I think every kid goes through some form of intimidation from others while growing up – I certainly did.  But, it is the way you handle it that determines whether or not you are going to let it control your life.  Obviously, some kids cannot deal with it, and pay the ultimate price – either hurting or killing themselves.  However, as bad as their behavior might be, I don’t think that the bullies should be held responsible for something as serious as death of another from their actions, unless they themselves physically caused the death.  To me, the ones who are being bullied either have to find a way to deal with it internally, or seek the help of someone who can put a stop to it before it leads to something worse.  More often than not, the parents of the bullies (if even one or the other is around) were themselves bullies growing up, and have taught their children to be like they were growing up.  It is a shame, but it is a fact.  Everyone feels bad when something like this happens, especially to a child.  But, the child, again, needs to find some help or remove themselves entirely from any situation that might put them in the way of the bullies.  Kids today have so many pressures put on them to try and make them grow up before they are ready, and getting bullied along the way only adds to their pressures.  But, no one can live in a vacuum.  Being exposed to the underbelly of society is part of the growing up process.  How you handle it paves the way for living in the adult world.