Just Be Nice… Lynn E. Marcks Bullies have been around forever. Someone, somewhere is always trying to push somebody else around; or call someone descriptive and colorful names; or start a fight; or perhaps physically and mentally hurt someone. Remember Little House on the Prairie? Every show had someone who was a bully. So, how do you stop a bully? The simple answer is that you take away their power. Bullies want power-bullies want dominance. And, how do you take away a bully’s power? One preventive way is to teach our children the tools of “character education.” That is, the fine art of developing positive character traits and values that with nurturing will develop and grow as the child ages. Character traits and values have been around as long as bullies have been around. Think back to what your kindergarten teacher said---share the toys; be nice; don’t hit; clean up your own mess; and say you are sorry. Research says there are about 125 positive character traits and values that are categorized. (Brian Hall and Benjamin Tonna) Some of the most powerful traits and values include compassion, empathy, self-worth, integrity, honor, and generosity / service. Put all this together in simple terms: if you have these positive character traits and values, even at a very beginning level, there is no way you can be a bully! And, that is good news because you are modeling those traits and values that children need as they develop their own positive character traits and values. This article may be reproduced and distributed by educational and / or non profit organizations as long as credit is given to Lynn E. Marcks, nIc foundation, Inc., Clintonville, Wisconsin. June, 2010 publication. |