If you have kids, then this movie is a must see.
I'm blessed with the ability to attend my kids' field trips. But due to the subject matter of this movie and understanding very well the emotionally charged content behind it, I gave my son the option of going with his classmates without me. I was a bit shocked and very proud when he looked at me and said that out of all the trips, this is the one he wanted me to be on with him.
Watch the trailer here:
Opening Scene: a bus full of kids. Nothing really stands out. Only the thought of knowing exactly where this movie is going and waiting for something to happen. And then you hear the voice of a man speaking about his son. His smile. His happiness. His pain. And then you notice he's talking about his son in the past tense.His son, Tyler, committed suicide. Age 17.
Tyler. When he spoke his son's name, it sent shivers down my spine and that burning sensation in my eyeballs. I closed them quickly, and before I had a chance, my Tyler took my hand.
 |
| A Mother's Day card from Alex, one of the boys bullied in this film. |
This movie was personal to me on so many levels. When I was growing up, I was a buck-toothed, knobby kneed, teacher's pet. I was a teacher's pet because I was abused at home and I needed to be someone special, to anyone who cared.
Needless to say, that didn't make me very popular. And if that wasn't bad enough, I had a twin sister. A gorgeous twin sister with whom I was always compared to. She was always the prettier one. And because we were so broke down from a terrible home life, we made pretty great targets for bullies.
There was one incident on Halloween. I was jumped and literally beat down while my sister was tied to a tree. If memory serves me right, it was the week after we were both beat by several kids in our elementary school bathroom. The reason? We were too ugly and if we were going show our face in public, then we needed to be taught a lesson. Yup. That sure did wonders for my self-esteem. And they were issues I carried with me straight to adult-hood.
Fast forward to many, many years later... about the time I'm sending my kids to school. You can imagine how my heart broke for my oldest son to learn that the biggest kid in his class -held back 2 years already- had decided to target my boy who happened to be the smallest in his entire grade! I tried to let him handle it. Then I went to the teacher who's hands were tied by the principle. And going to the principle was a joke in itself. So what do you do? What can you do? You have a voice. And it's more powerful than you know.
BE THE DIFFERENCE.
Aside from being a plethora of resources, this movie shares the story of many sides of bullying, from the precious boys that took their lives, to a bully himself. From the unequipped administration, to the denial of law enforcers. From the kid struggling to learn the difference between being a punching bag and having an authentic friendship, to the girl who is determined to rise above it all. And the heartbroken parents who learn too late about the hell their kids are going through on a daily basis.
I will warn you, it is a documentary filming raw and unscripted events as they unfold in the daily lives of several students. The language may be offensive but let's take the sugar coating off. Bullies don't use candy-coated accolades. This is real life. The reality of it is quite disturbing. This is how they really talk. And this is what derogatory, degrading, ruthless bullying sounds like. I only warn you so that you can prepare your kids ahead of time.
If you get a chance or have already seen this movie, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
♥,
Sharon
Additional Resources:
http://thebullyproject.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bullymovie
To find out where this movie is playing in your area, visit: http://thebullyproject.com/bullyticketingseefilm.html
Both my wife and I were bullied in school, and for that we reason we chose to home school our children. It's not that we think all parents should do this, but it was a primary factor for our choice.
ReplyDeleteWow Christopher! I think that's wonderful that you were able to home school your children. I've often thought about that but know that I wouldn't do very well with it. Instead, I volunteer at both my boys' schools weekly and attend every field trip/event. I just want to be aware of what's going on with them and the school.
DeleteWe recently relocated from CA to OR and are fortunate to have both boys in fantastic schools! And it has made a world of difference. In the first few weeks, my oldest son's teacher asked me if Tyler was bullied. When I asked her how she knew, she informed me that he had became the leader of their classroom's anti-bully campaign vividly expressing the torment & pain cause by bullying. He also vowed to stand up for the "little guy"... which made me smile because my guy is one of the smallest in the school. :)
Thank you for taking the time to comment.