To the editor:
When their eight-year-old daughter came home from school, Matamoras parents Mike and Linda could sense her level of distress was different this day. They soon discovered their child was being bullied.
As millions of children head back to school this year, more than one in five of them will have a similar experience, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And in a national study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, nearly 21% of tweens said they had been a target, aggressor or witness to bullying online or by other electronic means.
As parents search for ways to protect their children, a growing group of families are turning to an unlikely source for practical guidance: the Bible.
Mike and Linda openly talked with their daughter about helpful scriptural principles they learned through their faith as Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We reviewed examples in the Bible of people who faced similar situations and how they handled them,” said Mike. “We tried to help her understand that people are not always going to be kind. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be kind.”
They also went to jw.org, the Witnesses’ official website, where a search for the term bullying brought up a wealth of free resources including videos, articles, worksheets and other online activities on topics young people face at school. Those resources include a whiteboard animation entitled, “Beat a Bully Without Using Your Fists” and an animated cartoon about the powerful effect of prayer for those who are being bullied.
“The videos are simple and very practical,” said Mike. “It’s helpful for kids to see children their age facing similar problems and how they handle them.”
Mike and Linda’s young daughter decided to take practical steps. “I prayed about it. I was brave and talked to my teacher,” said the eight-year-old. Linda acknowledged, “Those steps helped. The teacher talked to the [bullying] student and things improved.”
Madison Bechtle of Clifton, New Jersey, also turned to the Scriptures when a cyberbully started harassing her in the eighth grade with dozens of disturbing notifications on her cell phone. “It was really crazy. He was sending me pictures of my house. I was really paranoid all the time,” she said.
Reading the Bible and praying calmed her anxiety. “It’s just you and God, and you’re just talking one-on-one,” she said. “It’s very comforting, and it works.”
She also followed the practical steps outlined in the jw.org whiteboard animation “Be Social-Network Smart” to protect herself. She told her parents and teachers about the situation and deleted the social media account her bully had targeted. “I still don’t have that account to this day,” said Madison, now 21.
“Not every situation resolves so easily. But applying the Bible’s advice and focusing on the big picture can help individuals cope and maintain their sense of self-worth,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“The Bible has proven to be a practical resource for many families to navigate difficult situations in life,” said Hendriks. “The principles found in this ancient book can help adults and children resolve conflict and maintain peaceful relationships with others.”
Principles like the so-called Golden Rule of treating others as you’d want to be treated, showing love and being slow to anger are tools Mike and Linda said help their family in many circumstances. “Bullying has changed since we were in school,” said Mike. “But scriptural principles will always be practical.”
Joshua Gilmour
Tannersville, PA