But on April 16, Jaheem appeared happy when he came home from school with a glowing report card. It may have been a glimmer of hope for his mother Masika Bermudez that her darling boy may have found peace with the situation. But later that evening, when her calls for him to come to dinner were not answered, she and Jaheem’s sister went up to his bedroom and found his body in a closet hanging by a belt.

This, just weeks after another 11-year-old boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, from Massachusetts, took his own life after relentless taunts by his peers.

What most surprised me is that DeKalb County, Georgia has what experts called an “exemplary” anti-bullying program in place that included an awareness program and a specially trained staff member to address the issue. Kids even were asked to sign a no-bullying pledge.

So what went wrong? And what can we, as parents, do to stop our child from bullying or being bullied, since we cannot rely simply on our schools?

Here’s yet another resource, a free Bully Reporting Site powered by www.BullyStoppers.com where parents and students can provide details of bullying situations. And, here is an example what the reports look like. The anonymous bully reporting is designed to help students who suffer from bullying, decrease behaviors that build over time and lead to violent outbursts, create a deterrent effect against bullying in a school or bus, and prevent embarrassing students who report problems.

Will it help? Who knows. The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center seems to think that such a system could have prevented many of the countless school shootings over the years. Regardless, a workable solution must be found before another child kills himself.

Photo, Flickr, sarah bara wears mascara

Post from: Blisstree

Suicides Question Anti-Bullying Programs

I read this story about Karen Daniel, who (as the story quotes) was “wider around than she was tall.” She weighed 375 pounds and has lost 200 of it, and has seemed to do it without surgery.

Even though she is not diabetic, I think we all can take her story to heart. I urge you to visit her website and read her story, because it will surely encourage you to take charge of your own health. So many diabetics are feeling bad and overweight and simply don’t know where to begin. Here’s where you begin: with one small step. It leads to big changes.

I was struck by something Karen said in her story, “It’s a lot harder to be fat than it is to work so hard at being fit.”

Think about the extra weight you have and how much work it is to carry that weight around. I know it’s hard to lose weight (believe me!) but you owe it to yourself to be as fit and happy as you can. I think Karen can attest to that, and I hope her story inspires you as much as it did me.

Post from: Blisstree

Karen Daniel Loses 175 of Her 375 Pounds