This is no bull.

I think that the media inflates a lot of stories just for shock value and ratings. That is why I hate watching the news on TV. I rarely read the newspaper (except for the daily obits), but I sometimes will monitor current events through cnn.com or other reliable online news sources. There is one topic that I cannot pass up to give my thoughts. Bullying.

It seems that this topic has become popular recently, but it has been around a long time. Do you remember the Little Rascals' Butch and Woim? They were always after poor Alfalfa. That is probably why his hair would stick up in the middle. Poor Alfalfa was always stressed out. Although that was just TV fun, that is reality to some kids, and even some adults. And I cannot find any humor in it.

I was the victim of bullying in my school age years. Those kids are long gone, but the scars are still with me today. There was name calling, physical abuse, and just plain mean things done toward me that I could not stop. I would tell a teacher and the person would get punished, but only temporarily. It would never cease. I had friends in school, but when it came to bullying I stood alone. I was not the only one that would get bullied, but it seemed like no one would help. Did I ever speak up loud enough? Probably not. I would ocassionally tell someone about it, but no one took me serious. Thank God I made it through. But others resort to more serious means of stopping it including suicide and rage that spins out of control.

I was lucky to have an older sibling that I could hang out with at school, but that was not always the case. I had to deal with it mostly on my own. And it wasn't easy. I hated school because of it. I was an honor roll student making straight A's until high school, where I made mostly A's and B's. I would get bullied into letting others cheat and to do poorly on a test just to make the grading curve lower. I never gave in when it came to academics, but I was pressured. Then there were times others would just pick on me because I was overweight. Shy. Quiet. Didn't wear the "in" shoes. Always a reason to bully. But not one reason good enough. Let me make it clear that not all of my years were miserable, but bullying was a big part of my life.

I think it so important that if you know someone or think you know someone that is being bullied, be their voice. They may not feel anyone will listen. Be their friend. Be their mentor. Be there. They need to know that someone cares and they are not alone. My daughter was the victim of bullying, but she learned to be more assertive and after talking with proper authorities at school, it ceased. She knew she could come to us no matter what happened at school or anywhere. Daily communication is very important. Be vocal. Be visible. Let the schools out there know that this will not be tolerated. Each bully has a story behind him or her that makes them this way. There is always a reason they are bullies. There's always a void they need to fill or an issue at home. But it doesn't make it right.

Let's make it right and spread awareness about this epidemic among our young people. They need to have a voice and not be scared. This has to end.