I tell my children all of the time to, “Play nice.” Do you know why? Do you know why I teach this lesson to my children? Because how we interact with others matters, because compassion is important, and because nobody likes a bully.
I get a lot of hate mail. No, really… I get countless emails saying terrible things about me and my family. You might be surprised. There isn’t much I say on this page that would seem to come across as aggressive or deserving of hate. As a matter of fact, the sole mission behind all of my writing is to bring healing and hope to the hearts of others.
I guess, sometimes, hope is hard.
Sometimes, people don’t like hope… Or at least they don’t like how I offer hope to them or to others.
I could choose from many examples, but take this one for instance. I wrote article about a mom I saw at Chick-Fil-A. When scrolling through comments awaiting moderation, I was shocked (to say the least) to find that I had been called something that I read on the wall in a dirty bathroom stall once when I was in middle school. I was just as shocked to read it 20 years later in regard to my hope for the momma who wanted to eat her chicken nuggets while managing her small children.
I couldn’t understand why someone would stop in the middle of their day to say how angry they were about something that had nothing to do with them. Why would they seek out an opportunity to destroy hope?
I protect my readers passionately by not publishing every comment and by carefully moderating conversations on this page and my other social media accounts. I treat these places like my living room. I keep them safe for me and for my friends. Do you know why? Do you know why I care so much? Because this is my small corner of the internet.
And this is an area where I get to say no to hate.
I remember one time in about the third grade playing on the playground at recess. It was a warm day, and I was collecting ladybugs in my juice cup that I had saved from the cafeteria. A friend of mine was nearby when I looked up and saw a few other girls walking our way. They asked my friend a simple question, and then began singing her response louder and louder until she cried in frustration.
I can’t remember all of the details of the event, but I can tell you that I remember walking over and standing in front of her and telling them to stop.
The truth is, some bullies never learn to quit, and too often parenthood is far too much like the playground. Not just here on my page, but across the internet people attack one another with their keyboards while hiding behind their computer screens. They forget that the people reading the words on the other end are real – real mommas and daddies and women and men. Real people all doing the very best that they can.
They believe that just because someone does something differently than they do, that it is wrong. They forget that we are all on the same team. This parenting thing is tough. No, really. It’s no joke. But there is no place on this playground for bullies, and we will not tolerate it any longer. I can say no to hate here, but I think that this is bigger than this page. I think we can say no together. What do you think?
I think that we can link arms and look mommy bullies in the face and say, “Stop it,” and then look one another in the eye and accept each other and our differences.
We teach our children that they can’t be silent when they see others being bullied. I think it is time that we remember this lesson for ourselves. Won’t you join me? Share this with those you know who will link arms with us.
#NoMoreMommyBullies
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