I came across this post on another person's blog. I found it because I had checked out a link posted on facebook by one of my friends. I'm still getting used to this whole interconnectedness of the internet and social media..........Anyways, I was amazed with the word picture this idea paints of the damage done by bullying. I plan on doing this activity with my children and especially highlight that this is what happens when they are mean to each other and not treating one another with respect and honor. At the same time, I was challenged to think about the damage I do with the words I use. Yes we can say sorry and yes we can be forgiven but the scars are still there. I also need to talk and treat others with respect and honor. If I'm not modeling it for my children, then how can I expect them to learn to do this too? We all have a choice as to what we say, how we act and how we treat others. We can't blame our reactions on the scars we still hold or the people who might have put them there. I know we are human and will mistakes but, by the grace of God, I want to live each day filled and led by the Holy Spirit so that I'm not creating scars in my children or those around me. Let's do our best, with God's help, to treat the 'precious papers' in our lives with the utmost of care, love, honor and respect.
A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bully’s another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. Pass it on or better yet, if you're a parent or a teacher, do it with your child/children.
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