Obama Knows All About Being Bullied

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

President Barack Obama smiled when he said his large ears and funny name once made him a target of school-yard harassment. But he was all seriousness Thursday when he told a White House conference on bullying that torment and intimidation must not be tolerated.

Some 13 million students, about a third of all those attending school, are bullied every year, the White House said. Experts say that puts them at greater risk of falling behind in their studies, abusing drugs or alcohol, or suffering mental or other health problems. Kids who are seen as different because of their race, clothes, disability or sexual orientation are more likely to be bullied.

"If there's one goal of this conference," Obama said, "it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not." He spoke to more than 100 parents, students, teachers and others gathered to discuss the problem and share ideas for solutions.

"Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it's not something we have to accept," he said.

Okay, I feel a lot of sympathy for children that are bullied. I was bullied when I was a kid. I don't like to admit how tough of a childhood I had and without sounding like a total wimp, it was an awful experience.

I had other problems at home as well, that had nothing to do with school but, being an only child and not really having or believing that anyone could relate with me, I became extremely depressed. I "attempted" suicide several times and, I put that in quotations only because, let's face it, anyone that knows me knows I'm all talk. Ooops, another admission.

Okay, so what's my point? Well, the truth is, I was able to get some counseling. I also discovered that a lot of the reasons people were picking on me had to do with how I was reacting to them. I was told to be nice and be sweet and always be peaceful, be a lady but, those tactics don't work too well when you're a child being teased. I was bringing a lot of the torment onto myself and, as soon as I learned a new way of handling how I reacted, guess what happened? I became pretty well liked. People started leaving me alone and I ended up having a ton of friends by the time I graduated. I actually loved high school because of all the changes that I had gone through. I learned to be funny. I learned to be the class clown. I learned to be peaceful but, goofy and of course, I'm a little weird because of it but, it was a very awesome experience.

Again, I am NOT saying it's okay to be bullied or to be a bully. Certainly, there are also degrees of being bullied. I can't really compare my experience to what children go through today. The internet does increase the impact of bullying but, I am saying that we need to focus on the kids being bullied. Help them understand there are other ways to deal with bullies, like standing up to them, laughing at them, ways to deflect, etc.

Michelle Obama said parents need to be more involved in their children's lives, their schools and their activities since youngsters "don't always tell us every little detail." She said her youngest daughter, 9-year-old Sasha, often says "Nothing" in response to questions about her day at school.

The first lady, who introduced the president, also urged adults to set an example by treating others with compassion and respect, and giving each other the benefit of the doubt. "It sends a message to our kids about how they treat others," she said.

 Well, isn't that interesting Michelle? Wasn't it the left in this country that has totally dismissed the notion that a child needs a loving, stable family? No, not every couple is going to stay together and live happily ever after but, for years the left has done everything they can to undermine the American family --father, mother, children. Women all go to work, most often outside the home, because you are looked down upon now if you call yourself a "stay-at-home-mom." If you go to work all day, you are called a "hero mom." Of course, these moms typically spend the least amount of time with their children and know nothing of what's going on in their lives.

So, what do you want Michelle? Will the left finally understand the importance of working for a traditional family, or are they going to continue to cover-up all of the cancers that ensue when tradition goes out the window?

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