Stop it Now

 Everywhere you turned during the school year last year, you heard about programs to combat bullying. It has become such an issue among our kids, especially young students who are not equipped to handle it emotionally or physically. I have seen the end results of bullying make the headlines too many times in recent years. School violence is no joke. Mean-spirited comments can turn even the most docile child into an anger-filled kid who retaliates with sad results. It's almost time for school to begin. I would hope that parents and teachers will be watching for this type of behavior before something bad happens. Middle school seems to be the worst for this and then it escalates into high school. When I was a kid, I was fortunate to have brothers who looked out for me and I did the same for them. A punch in the nose usually ended any bad mouthing or teasing. I am not advocating violence but sometimes the words spewed by bullies cut deeper than any punch in the nose. Please stop the bullies.