With October as the month for National Bullying Prevention, the most powerful statements penned is that of Shandley McMurray. Look back on what she shared a year ago as people keep in mind that bullying is destructive.
McMurray wrote an open letter to the bullies who have been intimidating her then-9-year-old daughter, noting that she can be annoying, does not like to take no for an answer, voices her opinions loudly and likes to bend the rules.
McMurray added in her open letter, "She wears outrageous clothes that don't match, gets excited about small things (like playing outside at recess) and sings whenever possible. She wants so much to be your friend that she sometimes enters your personal space, begs to be allowed to join in a game and laughs too loudly to hide her disappointment when you-once again-say 'no.'"
The mother of the kid added that the bullies think that her daughter screaming with delight when the bell rings for lunch is not normal, crying in the corner whenever she gets hurt is her way of getting attention, and finding joy in her tears then moving on to playing tag with other friends while she does not get asked to join.
She added that she believes her daughter will not do the same thing. If she sees someone crying, her daughter would be there to comfort the other kid even if she was called weird by that same person days ago. She believes her daughter has the kindest heart, is enthusiastic and joyful, as per her letter via Today's Parent.
McMurray continued to talk about these bullies making a "Who hates [the name of her child]" bar chart. The "hate" bar reportedly went higher and her "like" bar remained at the bottom. The bullies also promised the child a fountain pen, which was not given, as she did not play at the playground that day. McMurray's daughter also spent time making Valentine's cards for everyone in her class and when she handed them to the bullies, one of them crumpled it and threw it in the trash can in front of the child.
Her daughter also reportedly tells herself every day before she leaves for school that if she fits in, they will be nice to her and that she has to act normal in order to achieve that goal. McMurray said that the acts done by and to her daughter are breaking her heart because she is better than normal and that her daughter is trying to squash her personality so other students would like her. She proceeds to ask the other children to step into her daughter's shoes and maybe they would feel what she does and one day invite her to a game of tag.
In line with this, Broadway World reported that Cartoon Network hosted their 7th annual "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" campaign. Local school children in the Atlanta area attended the event, which took place at Chuck E. Cheese's in Alpharetta, Georgia. Kids from ages 8 to 12 were able to hear NBA superstar Dwight Howard talk. He said that being an active friend will prevent bullying.
Cartoon Network and Chuck E. Cheese's partnership will continue until the end of October. Families can bring signed pledged to their local Chuck E. Cheese's to receive 50 free tickets and watch Cartoon Network for an hour for special programming. To sign and take a pledge, click here: https://chuckecheese.com/StopBullying.
