The other night I overheard a very sad conversation. A twelve year old boy told his brother that every time he is around a certain group of older boys they make fun of him. Then he said, "so I don't talk any more when I'm around them, because if I don't say anything, they won't make fun of me." He's a super shy kid to begin with and doesn't stand a chance when he's around rowdy older kids. It's sad.
The thing is, I know the older boys he was talking about and they are generally decent kids. But even the nice teenagers can be ruthless. I shudder when I think of the completely insensitive things I remember hearing (and unfortunately saying) when I was in high school. Usually it was just to get a laugh. I still think my sister Amy harbors a grudge against me for a comment I once made about Oreos getting stuck in her teeth.
In the end I think most of us grow out of that mean phase. And luckily, most kids weather the cruel storm of adolescence. But sometimes I wonder how many kids grow up permanently scarred by the things they experience in their youth. And how much can you really do to change it? Is it just natural selection at work?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Picking on the Little Guy
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2 comments:
Teenagers can be jerks, huh. I remember there were some groups where I was picked on, and other groups where I was the pickee. Teenagers are so stupid because they always switch into survival mode and do the picking-on so that no one will start picking on them. At least, that is how I was. Ugh.
I think about this 24/7. My little boy started Kindergarten this year and before he started he had NO idea that he was small. He thought he was huge. I guess I should've told him. Now his friends sometimes say he is the size of a preschooler and they try to pick him up. He seems ok with it... we talk about it... but I still worry constantly! Luckily his dad can give him some advice on the subject... but it still makes me sad!
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