Bullying Must Stop! 48 Hours Special Friday on CBS!

I was invited to a Round Table discussion at CBS headquarters to discuss their upcoming 48 hours show on bullying.

This is a topic that has affected me my whole life.

As I was growing up, the other kids noticed that I was different and let me know they noticed. It was especially tough for me in Junior High School (what they call middle school now). I was never good in sports (as the stereotype goes). I dealt with this by trying to stay away from the limelight and becoming a bookworm.

40 years later times have not only changed, they continue to change and very rapidly.In some cases some kids are so distraught that they actually commit suicide. And stories about computer or “cyber” bullying are now everywhere. With the increased ways there are now to bully, we have to work harder to help our young people.

Bullying itself is not a new phenomenon, but there are so many more bullying tools around, so many subtle choices, we have to really increase our vigilance. You could not reach a thousand students to bully a fellow student in the old days. Now you can via Facebook or Twitter with 1 typed sentence.

And here I am with an 8 year old boy. I am comfortable raising him in NYC where there is a lot of diversity. I would not be comfortable in less urban places where I feel he could be teased and bullied because he has 2 dads.

And here I am with an 8 year old boy who is strong and big. Who could have easily fit the profile of the kids that bullied me when I was younger.

I have a two fold situation where I have to teach him to respect everyone everywhere for their similarities and/or differences, and also to not let teasing bother him. My higher power did not make it easy for me!

So I urge everyone to watch this CBS episode of 48 hours, more specific info below:

As a new school year begins across the country, more than 160,000 children will stay home every day because they are afraid of being bullied. That is just one of the startling facts in the CBS News/48 HOURS presentation “Bullying: Words Can Kill.”

Reported by correspondent Tracy Smith, the program airing Friday, Sept. 16 (8:00 PM, ET/PT) reveals how the explosion in technology is only making bullying worse, as victims cannot find relief from their tormentors in a 24/7 digital world. The report, with links to the CBS News website, will have important new information for parents, educators and legislators about how bullying affects children and how to address it. Plus, viewers can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter.

For six months, producers and camera crews were allowed in-depth access to the classrooms, cafeteria and gym at a Rhode Island middle school that is one of the few in the United States that has openly acknowledged it has a bullying problem and has taken action to address it. The 48 HOURS special documents the real lives of students at that particular school, and has the powerful stories of other young people and their families from around the country who have felt the impact of bullying firsthand.

One constantly harassed 13-year-old told Smith, “They got inside my head. They did it because they knew it would hurt.” His mother said dropping him off at school was like “sending him off to war.” Tragically, more than 150 children have taken their own lives in recent years because they were victims of harassment in school and online.

Among those featured in the broadcast:

Dara Genovese, 13, bullying victim: “If you have ever been bullied, harassed, tortured, which I hope you haven’t, let me tell you, it is the worst. I mean, worst feeling ever.”

“You’re laying in bed and you’re just thinking, like… what would it be like if you’re not here? Like… would it be better? Or, like, would people be happier – or just – just you wonder, you think a lot of questions.”

Johnny Cagno, victim of bullying who attempted suicide at age 14: “When you’re tortured every single day, it gets to you. I was very, very scared to go to school every day.”

Lisa Cagno, Johnny’s mother: “He was hurting himself. He was cutting himself, and he would just (say), ‘I hate myself, I don’t want to live anymore. I hate my life. Nobody likes me, no one cares about me.’ And I just – I would just have to constantly just reassure him. I couldn’t get those feelings out of his head.”

Cynthia Logan, a parent who lost her daughter because of bullying: “We have principals in our schools and superintendents who don’t want to acknowledge the problem. They don’t want it to be their problem. I did as much as I could do as a parent, knowing as little as I did.”

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post.