Our Granddaughter, Stop Bullying Words Do Hurt
It’s Wordy, Wordless Wednesday….Today’s photos are more serious than usual and are not my photography.They are the work of the talented photographer Lisa Tucker. Those of you who visit regularly know that I have written about my experience with bullying and our granddaughters experience with bullying ( although I kept her experiences private). Lisa Tucker of Lisa Tucker Photography and Lisa Nielson of Art and Soul Girls created a PSA for anti bullying- Stop Bullying “Words Do Hurt”. Featuring several victims of bullying and our oldest granddaughter Savannah is included. Although this makes me cry it also makes me beam with pride. God Bless Savannah’s beautiful heart, she wanted to participate and share her experience if it could help others.
She is brave and beautiful and has a heart as big as the sky. We love her very much!
I encourage you to visit Lisa’s anti bullying PSA and Art and Soul Girls and leave comments ( please let them know I sent you)
See you at the Thursday Favorite Things hop tomorrow!
I love how people commented very nice things about me. There very nice.
I love you more xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo
Thank you, grandma for putting this on your blog. I love you so much. I am so glad I did this campaign, I was so proud of myself. After I did this people weren’t bullying me that much anymore. love you
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I’m very proud of you.Your bravery made a difference and people did take notice of this great campaign. I am just sorry that you were a victim of bullying. I love you sooooo much!!!!!!!!!
I was “teased’ too, just about every day from 1st-10th grade. I’m in my 40s and still not completely over it. Parents and school officials are finally taking this seriously, and I hope they stop at nothing to protect students from ignorant and cruel classmates. It feels like a piece of my soul was stunted, like I’m always on guard around people to this day. Your granddaughter is incredibly brave to make this public stand, and I too wonder how anyone could find fault with her when she’s so gorgeous. She’s living proof that bullying isn’t something your bring on yourself, and all kids, regardless of appearance, weight, race or behavior deserve to be treated with respect and feel safe in school.
What an awesome thing for her to do! This is so prevalent nowadays, and these poor kids cannot get away from it at all because of all the social media. I know that our oldest granddaughter has already been bullied, and she is a doll, and just 12. It breaks my heart.
I am very impressed with your granddaughter to speak out against such an important topic. Great pictures! Very moving.
I know this is an older post, but just visited your site and saw this on your sidebar. Your granddaughter is so beautiful and that she is doing this campaign says so much about how beautiful she is inside also. Bullying has gotten so out of control, it is scary. So I am glad she is taking a stand. Praying for her and all the countless people that are bullied every day.
I agree she is beautiful and I love Lisa’s work. I am in the process of writing my second book. It is the story of my 17 year old stepson’s suicide. Words do hurt and they can also kill:(
Your Granddaughter is very brave and may be responsible for saving lives!
I am very Proud of you loveGG
Your granddaughter is a beautiful young lady. Society moves forward on a lot of fronts, but it is too bad that bullying has not only continued to be a problem but has escalated with all the available technology.
Sweet Katherine, your grand daughter is so beautiful and I am so sorry to hear that she has been bullied. What a special kind of warrior she is to have stepped forward in this project. Warmest hugs, Mina
Wow. What a powerful statement.
Sorry to hear about you and your grand daughter encountering bullying, I have encountered bullying and it’s terrible. Your grand daughter is very brave.
at my age, other peoples’ opinions mean nothing. My self-image is well and truly set and I don’t feel that I need to do or be anything in order to be accepted. That was NOT the case when I was young and I certainly know how words can hurt. Tell your granddaughter how proud we all are that she’s standing up to bullies and learning her own value. It’s immense and she’s a lovely young woman. I can see why you’re proud.
It’s hard to hear bullying has gotten SO bad and now it is not just words. It seems like it is getting so violent and volatile that kids see no other way out than suicide. I am glad your grand daughter has support and the fortitude to use her experience to help others! You must be so proud!
I’m glad she has support and that she has the courage to reach out to others who are under attack. That’s a dynamic and affirming move on her part. Way to go, Savannah!!!
What a lovely young lady, inside and out — and so brave to share her story. You all (and she) must be very proud of her! 🙂
What a brave and beautiful girl! My heart goes out to her and others who are bullied.
What a strong young woman she is to do this. Love her!!
Your granddaughter is beautiful, brave and courageous! What an inspiration and powerful voice she is for all those being bullied. My daughter’s best friend went through horrible bullying a few years ago. It is so heartbreaking to see how cruel others can be. What made it even worse in our case, it was happening at a Christian school. I know you are one proud grandmother, and I so admire her. XOXO
Your granddaughter is beautiful, and oh so brave to do this. I had a bully in school and it made my life—-. I’m glad that this topic has come to light and people are more aware. I remember going to teachers and parents and being told that I should just try harder to be the bully’s friend. I had seven years that were horrible and when I recall them I remember how that shy little girl(me) felt. Good post.
Your grand daughter is so very beautiful and just thinking about the pain she has endured from bullying infuriates me. Kids (and adults…) can be so cruel; I know because me oldest son was bullied not only verbally but just before I took action, they physically bullied him. I stormed into the school (a teacher at the time, myself…) and DEMANDED that something be done or I would take things into my own hands. The school reacted quickly and parents were notified. There were many conversations but he was never bullied again after that. My heart will always go out to the one who does nothing and is on the receiving end of a bully.
Katherine, Your Granddaughter is so beautiful!
She is very brave…Its great that she is taking a stand against this issue.
I applaud her!
Katherine, your granddaughter is absolutely gorgeous! Good for her for stepping up and ‘speaking out’ via these photos!
Susan
I liked and shared it. What a courageous thing your granddaughter is doing. Kudos!
She is such a beautiful girl. It’s hard to imagine someone with her beauty being a victim, but that’s one of the things that make it so difficult to stop. Anyone can be a victim of bullying. I’m so impressed with her courage to stand up for what is right.
Katherine, I am so sorry your beautiful granddaughter had to endure such ugliness in her life. She is very brave indeed and very generous for sharing her story.
You may have heard about Amanda Todd, a 15 yr. old who recently committed suicide over cyber and other bullying that got out of hand. There is so much press in our Canadian news right now about her tragic death. Just as Hilary Clinton once said, it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to protect a child. We are so busy today that we don’t often see what’s in front of us. What this means, is we need to be ever vigilant, be those eyes and ears for our children. Teach them that help is close at hand. That there are adults they can trust. Bullying has always been around, but now that we have the internet, it’s heightened considerably. No tolerance has to be a policy we all adopt.
We need to teach respect from the bottom up. I am struck by how much our society has moved in the other direction.
Oh, my goodness, I am such an idiot, I forgot to mention how beautiful the photos are, your granddaughter is gorgeous and the photos are wonderful, making such a great point!
My son lived through bullying (2nd through 8th grade) and now is doing very well, he will be graduating law school in May. I hope your Granddaughter continues to prosper and her mission to help others helps her move past it 🙂
Her courage is an inspiration to us all! It appears that her suffering has not broken her beautiful spirit. Instead, it has helped form her character into the kind of admirable, pro active young woman that this world so desperately needs. She may never know how many lives she has saved, opinions she has changed or hurts she has healed but she does know she stood up against her oppressors and worked for change. You have every right to be very proud of her!
What a beautiful girl! Kids can be so mean. I was also bullied as a child, mostly in the 6th grade and it was just horrible. I love this campaign, she is a shining light!
Was very touched after reading your blog this morning.
What a very lovely and beautiful granddaughter and the wonderful courage she has.
Bullying really irritates me; as if kids have nothing better to do and you often wonder what is being taught at home.
I was always taught growing up and have taught / told my daughters and grandkids the same; You Treat People The Way You Would Like To Be Treated.
Why do some people bully?
There are a lot of reasons.
They may see it as a way of being popular, or making themselves look tough and in charge.
Some bullies do it to get attention or things, or to make other people afraid of them. Others might be jealous of the person they are bullying. They may be being bullied themselves.
Some bullies may not even understand how wrong their behaviour is and how it makes the person being bullied feel.
Why are some young people bullied?
Some young people are bullied for no particular reason, but sometimes it’s because they are different in some way – perhaps it’s the color of their skin, the way they talk, their size or their name.
Sometimes young people are bullied because they look like they won’t stand up for themselves.
What can you do if you are being bullied?
Coping with bullying can be difficult, but remember, you are not the problem, the bully is. You have a right to feel safe and secure.
And if you’re different in some way, be proud of it! – Stand Strong. Spend time with your friends – bullies hardly ever pick on people if they’re with others in a group.
You’ve probably already tried ignoring the bully, telling them to stop and walking away whenever the bullying starts.
If someone is bullying you, you should always tell an adult you can trust. This isn’t telling tales. You have a right to be safe and adults can do things to get the bullying stopped.
Even if you think you’ve solved the problem on your own, tell an adult anyway, in case it happens again.
An adult you can trust might be a teacher, school principal, parent, someone from your family or whanau, or a friend’s parent. If you find it difficult to talk about being bullied, you might find it easier to write down what’s been happening to you and give it to an adult you trust.
What can you do if you see someone else being bullied?
If you see someone else being bullied you should always try to stop it. If you do nothing, you’re saying that bullying is okay with you.
It’s always best to treat others the way you would like to be treated.
You should show the bully that you think what they’re doing is stupid and mean. Help the person being bullied to tell an adult they can trust.
she is amazingly beautiful!!! It’s time people do something about this! Way to go!!
I’m glad she is being brave and showing how bullying can hurt.
Wow, very touching! And I am SO impressed with your granddaughter for choosing to help fight this, you go girl! This is a great post Katherine, thanks for sharing it!
What a great post. Bless your Grand daughter for making a strong statement. Unfortunately there was a local school boy that committed suicide just recently because of bullying. It is such a hard and cruel thing for some to deal with. Parents need to be very aware of how these children are or are not coping with this problem! Good for her for speaking out! Bless her wonderful heart!
Blessings,
Susie
Oh Katherine,
You have such a beautiful granddaughter and my heart aches for her because she has had to suffer at the hands of cruel, mean spirited and ignorant children who bully. Bullying is a learned trait, children aren’t born with it! It grieves me to know that bullying has gotten worse over the years. I remember being “teased” and even then it was cruel and hurtful. Children need a strong sense of who they are to be able to deal with kids and adults who do this. I was never one to follow the crowd, my dad used to ask me if one of my friends jumped off a bridge would I do it too? I always said no. I was never popular and never really wanted to be. I was happy being me! 🙂
Give your granddaughter a hug and a big smile from me!
It’s scary how quickly it can get out of hand. I worry about my youngest and the situations she and her friends get themselves into. It’s so easy for a simple misunderstanding to blow up into something huge.
I have read about this on your facebook page, and I think it’s wonderful that Savannah wants to be involved with this campaign. Bullying really is such a terrible thing. Your granddaughter is absolutely beautiful (obviously on the inside as well as the outside).
Your granddaughter is a beautiful person inside and out….I admire her courage! What a great post Katherine….
I have chills from reading this post. Kudos for your granddaughter. She is exquisite. The thought of someone bullying her or anyone else makes me sick at my stomach.
The her we all think she is beautiful – inside and out, and that we are all proud of her for standing up for her beliefs.♥
Words have such power, they can either lift you higher or hurt you like sharp knives. Those are scars in your soul can’t be erased.
Do they bully her BECAUSE she’s beautiful? What a gorgeous girl!!!