Must Reads - The Scary Facts About Bullying That Everyone Should Know

This week's Must Read comes from an October 17th article from Teen Vogue entitled, "The Scary Facts About Bullying That Everyone Should Know". Considering "Bullying" was the topic of this past week in our Dads/Sons Sunday small group, I thought it provided a great followup for not just them, but for anyone who's been affected by bullying, whether directly or indirectly. 

Please go read the full article yourself, but here's an excerpt:

According to Crisis Text Line data released exclusively to Teen Vogue, the organization receives bullying texts much more in the afternoon than other crisis conversations, with a huge spike in both cyberbullying and bullying in real life around 11 a.m. Those outreaches go up again around 9 and 10 p.m. before dropping off for the evening, and start again in the morning. The data seem to suggest that people are being bullied at school, reach out during lunch for help, going home, and then reach out again before bed.

I cringe at how clinically those bullying patterns are laid out. It's like I can visualize how students go through bullying all morning in their classes, then escape into hiding at diversion of lunch, so that they can desperately reach out from their hiding to try to find some kind of temporary solace before getting another dose of bullying in the afternoon and before bed. Makes me sick to visualize it like that.

If you have a teenager you care about in your life, just do them a favor and make sure you pour a little extra energy into asking them how their day really went. They could be looking for help, and even if they don't open up to you, or if nothing really happened, they need to know that you're a lifeline for them whenever they need you.

And here's the link to Crisis Text Line if you're more interested in learning about them, or want to supply your teen with this resource for their sake, or so that they can be a resource for their friends' sake.