by Marty Lewis

Seth is afraid to go to school. He knows there is one person at school who can make his life miserable.

Kylie is afriad of a group of girls at a mall. The girls whisper when they are around Kylie and make fun of Kylie any time they see her.

Jonathan receives threatening e-mails and messages on his social networking site. Some messages and notes contain names and others do not.

Profile of a Bully

Can you identify with any of the kids above? If you can, you are not alone! Almost 30 percent of kids in the United States report being a bully, a target of a bully, or both. Male buillies may target boys or girls. Girl bullies are usually cruel to other girls.

What do you think are typical signs of bullying? Guys who are bullies tend to be more physically abusive. They are suually bigger in size and stronger than the kids they bully. A bully wants to pick on a person he can dominate easily.

Girls who bully usually center on girls who are different or who do not easily fit in with their own group. Gorssip and cruel workds can really hurt! Though the behavior is less aggressive, cruel words can hurt just as much as physical blows.

Mean Motives

Why would someone be a bully? Some might bully to make themselves look better by making another look bad. Some might bully out of jealousy. Others may bully to control a situation in dealing with others.

Bullying Online

A new form of bullying is cyberbullying. This form of bullying is damaging because the person doing the bullying can often remain anonymous. The bullying takes the form of e-mails or other forms of electronic messaging. It can also occur on social networking sites.

Be extremely careful when dealing with any Internet site. Ask your parents to monitor your Web use along with sites you visit. Your parents want to know you are safe!

How Can You Deal With Bullies?

• Treat them the way you want to be treated. Matthew 7:12 tells you to treat others this way.
• Pray for them.
• Communicate with your parents and school counselors.
• Know that you are fully loved and accepted by Christ.
• Tell your parents about any online incident.
• Stay in contact with your church’s children’s minister or youth minister about any incident.
• Cultivate great and positive friendships.

Bullies need to learn about the love of Christ. Bullying is not part of God’s plan. Work hard to love all people—even bullies!