There is no such thing as neutral.
Bullying is an issue that is really gaining attention these days. It seems as if we can’t go a week without reading about a tragedy in which a young person either takes their own life or the life of others as a result of bullying. What makes it worse is that this type of bullying seems to be to effecting kids younger and younger.
Although my boys are still young, I find myself thinking about what I will tell them as they get older when they will undoubtedly encounter bullying. I keep being led back to Matthew 25:40 in which Jesus talks about “the least of these.” I absolutely feel that this verse also applies to bullying. Instead of things like “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,” I can hear Jesus saying “When I was bullied, you stoop up for me.”
Standing up for the kid who is being bullied can take a lot of courage. You run the risk of becoming a target yourself. Also, you might be concerned you will lose friends. The new Mean Girl Makeover trilogy by Nancy Rue tackles this issue of bullying head-on. Each book in the trilogy focuses on a different character’s point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. Each girl has a different personality so that every reader can find a character she relates to. The books, based on Scripture, show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for kids.
In the first book, So Not Okay, the main character (Tori) is faced with a dilemma when an awkward new girl (Ginger) starts at the school. The school’s head “mean girl” (Kylie) begins taunting Ginger. When Tori steps up to be kind to Ginger, she suddenly finds herself being the target of Kylie’s bullying. Tori must decide if she and her friends can withstand Kylie’s taunts or just do nothing and resume the status quo. Tori’s decision will change the course of her entire school year.
This book is one that every middle school girl should read, and every parent should discuss with her. It is our job as parents to raise Godly children, and to do this we not only need to set an example, but also discuss what they should do when they witness someone being bullied.
So Not Okay is available through Tommy Nelson Publishing and also on Amazon.com. Click HERE to preview the first 15 pages of the book.
In addition, one lucky Third Stop on the Right reader will win their own copy of So Not Okay. Enter through the form below. Contest will run through 11:59 p.m. EST on June 6, 2014.
