Valuable life lessons can be learned from school bullies
Galveston Daily News, March 2001

Bill Watterson wrote one of my all-time favorite comic stips, "Calvin and Hobbes." It was a quirky, casual comic strip that viewed the world from the perspective of a 6-year-old boy.

In one especially insightful issue, the young protagonist of the comic strip proclaims "people who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children."

Just ask anyone who's been harassed out of his milk money.

But kids can learn a lot from those experiences. The prima facie thing that being picked on teaches is the golden rule. As overexposed as it still is, it's still valuable. And there is other wisdom to be gleaned from being on the receiving end of a hard time, such as:

• The world doesn't revolve around you. OK, so some grown-ups never get around to learning this one.
• You don't have to be doing anything wrong for bad things to happen. This cuts back on energy wasted saying things like "that's not fair!"
• Bad situations won't change themselves. Imagine if Ghandi had said: "Gee, I sure don't like being a second-class citizen. Who wants more tea?"
• Life forces you to make difficult choices. Nobody can have the perfect life, you just have to pick what's important to you and pay close attention to those things.
• Your behavior has consequences. Seeing those involved in bad behavior like threatening others teaches a valuable lesson.
• Justice and the law are not synonymous. Just because something is not against the law doesn't mean it's OK.
• Stress is a part of life. When they're young, most kids have few worries. As they get into their teens, the stress starts creeping in.
• When you're in immediate danger, you can tell who your friends are. Learning who sprints the 440 when you're being persuaded out of your lunch money will come in handy later in life.
• The best way to avoid a bad situation is to be prepared for it. This is a great one that kids will be able to apply toward home finance, careers or the IRS.
• The only things you control are your attitude and behavior. You can't always control what happens to you, but you can control your reaction.

No matter your circumstances, the very nature of growing up presents many opportunities for joy and wonder. But they are most likely bracketed by periods of intense disappointment, rage, self-doubt and confusion. This is part of growing up.

Something has shifted in today's youth that prevents them from dealing with social pressures. I can't explain the rash of lethal turbulence. I'm convinced it's not a gun control issue.

But, whatever its cause, children today seem to skip past the lessons that facing difficulties have to offer them. They move directly into lessons in criminal justice.

back to consumer