Can I keep him in a Bubble?

My little guy starts kindergarten tomorrow.

You would think it is me going to school for the first time and not him. I am both excited for him and nervous. There is the usual hopes that he makes new friends and enjoys the learning experience. It is a monumental point in ones life whether you remember it or not.

I suppose I could be overprotective but I am already worried about "Bullying". Both the thoughts of him suffering from it or worse he starts to develop into a bully send me into a frantic,loss of control panic.

I recall how prevalent it was when I was in school and how it was ignored by most of the grown ups. If a student complained, you were a "tattle tale", teased even more, told to play elsewhere, etc. I think the views of the time were "bullying " was a fact of life and it built character.

That is simply garbage.

The effects of "bullying" unchecked are life lasting for both the victim and the perpetrator. I think the younger it starts the more profound effect it has on the individual.

As a small human being developing character, self esteem, self worth and good morale fiber this all begins with their first interactions. Guidance is imperative, first from the parents, caregivers, teachers...it does take a village to raise a child.

I don't know why but I am always very interested in human character that goes off the rails. How much of it began at a young age...can you blame genetics... I suppose to a certain point, however, I think as "grown ups" we play an enormous part in the development of youth today, not just our own but all in our community. The neighbors kids, the teenager who plays his drums across the street, the babysitter with too many body piercings, the little girl on the tricycle that asks too many questions, the nervous kid student driver whose taking too long to turn, all of them, everywhere.

The point is, each day I have an opportunity to interact with the future and influence in my own way, whether with words or by example but I first have to be aware, take the time and care.

Too often, we are on the go, too busy to take the time or probably more accurately, we are so preoccupied with the buzzing in our own heads we have become oblivious to whats happening in front of us.

Something as simple as "bullying" (and it is simple if you think about it) could easily be eradicated if we, all of us grown ups, just took the time to watch, listen and act.

All for now, from an excited but slightly panicked parent.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada