Bully

I've noticed up around the big kids' school they have "Bully Free Zone" posters. Bullies are something I worry about. It seems you hear an awful lot about them these days.

Yesterday Curly told me that they talked about bullies in class, did some role playing and had some discussion about how to handle bullies. She seemed to know all about how to handle a bully, but I wondered if she knew what a bully actually was.

"What does a bully do? Can you give me an example of what a bully would say?"

She thought for a moment. "Well," she said slowly "I'm not exactly sure, because I am not a bully. I think it's mean words, though and mean actions. Like, they make people feel bad with stuff they say and stuff they do, like calling people 'stupid' or making fun of somebody."

"That's good, Baby" I said. "You don't have to put up with that. If anyone is trying to make you feel bad or is being mean to you, no matter what they say, that is NOT okay and you need to tell a teacher right away."

"I will." She said cheerfully "But mostly I will just be their friend. Maybe they are grumpy and like a bully because they really just need a friend and then I will be their friend and then they will stop."

I just smiled and gave her a hug.

If only the world were so simple.