Bullies 2 Buddies

Most kids either have been bullied, know someone who gets bullied, or are bullies themselves. Sometimes all three apply to the same kid in different situations.

I'm a great fan of Izzy Kalman's suggestions on how to handle bullying because I've seen his methods work in my own life.

Kalman is Jewish, but he bases his method on the teachings of Jesus. Kalman believes, and has evidence to show, that turning the other cheek really does work.

Tattling or seeking revenge just make the bullies try harder to dominate whoever does those things. Of course in a severely dangerous or possibly life threatening situation it's sensible to get help, but most of the time simply acting like what the bully does doesn't matter is the best way to handle him or her. (And, yes, some bullies are girls.)

It means they've lost the game.

Bullies are people who need to make others feel bad in order to feel good about themselves. If they don't get the reaction they want from a victim they'll try harder for a while, but then they'll give up on bothering that person.

And bullying isn't just physical or only something that happens between kids. Adults can be mean to others in many ways.

If you know anyone dealing with bullies I recommend checking Kalman's website for helpful information. Here's the link: http://bullies2buddies.com

That Bully Problem

 Bullies are people who try to make themselves feel good by making other people feel bad. That's pathetic.

There are many kinds of bullying, and it's not always physical or involving kids. Even adults may bully others, often by the things they say.

As kids go back to school many of them are faced with the problem of being bullied by others. Many schools encourage kids to tattle on bullies, but I think that just makes the problem worse.

About a year ago I reviewed a book for kids that teaches them a better way to handle bullies by following the Golden Rule and treating others the way they would like to be treated. You can see that review here: http://onwordsblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/benjamin-jay-was-bully.html

A website I recommend highly for information for both kids and adults on how to handle bullies is http://bullies2buddies.com

Both of those resources are based on advice by someone many people consider wise. In the Bible in book of Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 39 to 40, and in the book of Luke, Chapter 6, verses 28 to 30 it's Jesus Christ who tells his followers the technique for handling bullies and it's the same as what is suggested in the book and website I mentioned. He tells them the Golden Rule in Matthew Chapter 7, verse 12.

In other words, when a bully bothers you, don't get upset or he wins the game. Just continue to treat him or her kindly and the bully will probably realize you're winning and stop playing the game with you.

I've seen that method work in my own experience. There may be times when someone who is mentally deranged or believes he or she is helping a cause by hurting or killing others when this method might not work, but even in situations like that it's usually more likely to stop the violence than fighting back.

I hope older kids and adults will download the free e-books on the Bullies2Buddies website. And for young kids going back to school reading Benjamin Jay was a Bully by Emma Glover should help keep them from becoming targets of bullies.