Buttercups & Burlap

Were you ever bullied as a child? Tell a story of a time you were bullied, or a time you observed someone being bullied?

I got bullied in elementary school. I was the “fat kid,” and very uncool. I wore sweat suits everyday. One boy was kicking rocks at my friend Michelle on the playground and I yelled at him to stop. So, he turned his attention to me. He even peed in my indoor shoes in the cloakroom one day. The teacher and principal launched an investigation and questioned every boy in the class. They couldn’t pin it on Philip but I knew it was him. The whole thing made me mortified; the fact that someone would do that to me, having my classmates pulled on by one to an impromptu interrogation room with the shoes boldly displayed on the center of the table, and the fact that he got away with it. The remarks about my weight and appearance resulted in an eating disorder that I struggled with until university.

What about you?

Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts

Do you do good things when no one is watching?

I do because I don’t need credit; in fact it makes me uncomfortable. I think those under the radar kind or good things mean more to the recipient and giver than public displays. When we only do things for recognition we aren’t building the intrinsic motivation to be kind people and sadly I think it is negatively affecting our communities. We seek so much validation for example on social media and broadcast so much of our lives it would be nice to do good things when no one is watching or do it anonymously. I think people need to model kindness so others can emulate it but I think we can restore faith in each other by doing small random acts of kindness on a day to day basis.

What about you?

Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts

If you had a child who had done something very wrong, such as stealing, how would you punish them?

Depending on the age of the child this prompt could have many answers. First, I would fight all my rage and approach the situation calmly. I would start by addressing the underlying reason for the “crime.” Then I would implement meaningful and prompt consequences: for example restitution and an apology to the “victim,” followed by a trip to the police station to talk about making good choices. Or I would connect with community resources available such as the  Schools Resource Officer (SRO). If the crime was severe enough and there were criminal charges I would not try to “bail them out.” I would want them to “face the music.” Perhaps, it is naive to have faith in the justice system, when clearly it is plagued with MANY problems. But the whole point of it is the rehabilitation of poor choices and attitude and reintegration. After facing the consequence or punishment the child would resume life again with the skills and attitude to function in society, daily life and the family without repeating the bad actions.

What about you?

Prompt from Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts