It Get's Better is a project that has been started in support of LGBT teens in direct response to the recent suicides of several teens over the past 2 months due to the relentless teasing, harassing and bullying of their peers. It's a tragedy when in this day and age our teens have to fear for their lives, for their safety because they are different. They hear over and over how their high school years are the years they will look back on and miss the most, their golden years. So is it any wonder that when they hear something as ridiculous as this (I don't know about you but I don't know anyone who looks back fondly on their high school years) that they feel so hopeless. I mean if it doesn't get any better than that then what is there to live for, to look forward to.
STOP. High School SUCKS. That popular, pretty cheerleading captain that appears to have it all, it sucks for her. That student over there getting straight A's and has a lot of friends and extracurricular activities, who always has a smile on their face, yup sucks for him too. Look around you. Does everyone look exactly the same? Do they act the same, talk the same, dress the same? Nope. They are all different and unique and perfectly OK just the way they are. AND SO ARE YOU!
I am 100% behind this new project, but hope to see it expand. You see it's not just LGBT that deal with horrific bullying and harassment. Anyone that seems a little different also suffers. We need a project that gives all teens this message, it get's better. More than that is that we really need to focus on stopping what is happening, we need to STOP the bullying. So many workplaces offer these little clinics to talk about harassment but give me a break, by then it's too late. This needs to be started very early on. Tolerance needs to be taught, consequences need to be had. We can't make it better if we don't first focus on fixing what is broken.
Parents, you need to be involved with your kids! You need to know what is going on in their lives even if you think they don't want you to know, even if you feel they are shutting you out. Learn and know the warning signs that your child is being bullied, or is the one doing the bullying. It starts with you, it really does. You have the greatest impact on how your children behave and how they react to peer treatment. I really cannot stress this one point enough.
It get's better. No matter where you are in your life today, tomorrow it get's better.
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