•Verbal: When someone verbally bullies another, he or she uses demeaning language to tear down another’s self-image. The intent is to hurt other person’s feelings or humiliate them.

•Emotional: More subtle than verbal bullying, emotional bullying aims at isolating someone and getting others to ostracize another person.

•Cyber: Electronic bullying is becoming a very real problem for teens. Cyber bullying includes text messaging, instant messaging, picture messaging, and social networks such as Facebook and My Space.  The intent is to humiliate someone.  This type of bullying is becoming more frequent, can be anonymous, and may be potentially devastating as the victim can not find a safe place from the virtual world.

Bullying is not a right of passage.  Allowing bullying to go unchecked can lead to poor academic performance, increased asbenteesim, damage to physical and mental health, violence, and even suicide.

Much of bullying stems from ignorance and prejudice.  Those bullied say they were bullied because of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.

If school bullying seems like a remote concern to you, you are not paying attention.  Behavior learned by our children today, makes them who they are in the future.  Destructive, violent behaviors today, make for aggressive, violent, self-absorbed angry adults in the future. Use your voice, get involved.  Silence is acceptance.

There a tons of resources available to help you prevent bullying in your school, neighborhood, and even your home.  Find out more about bullying, what to do and where to find help, visit mpn.ms