BURRILLVILLE – Unfortunately, bullying has been in the headlines a lot lately and it’s a very sad state of affairs when it comes to tolerance of such behavior. It is even affecting my own family members at schools. Bullying is an epidemic that should not be tolerated anywhere, especially in schools.
Requests are starting to stream in from community centers, parent groups and child safety advocates, asking for permission to use the Itty Bitty Super Dupers Be a Buddy, Not a Bully campaign in their communities in an effort to curb bullying. Thousands of school-aged children say that they stay home from school in an attempt to prevent dealing with a bully, or bullies, on a daily basis nationwide. Bullying is often overlooked and ignored by teachers and faculty members at schools. It’s not all teachers, or faculty members, but enough of them try to sweep the issues under the nearest rug and pretend that it’s not a real problem, leaving those kids vulnerable.
Bullying needs to be taken seriously and positive responses to the problem and the issue should be considered a priority everywhere. Itty Bitty Super Dupers cartoon characters deal with a variety of so-called bullies featured in comics, coloring books, on coloring posters and more, but do so with a humorous side that aims to make kids smile and laugh. Hopefully, kids that are bullied can relate to the funny super heroes, and it helps them build a new perspective. I was bullied as a kid, so I know and understand what it’s like to be a victim of bullying from one or more bullies at school, and walking back-and-forth to school and playgrounds.
Itty Bitty Super Dupers deal with adversary cartoon characters such as; BullyBots, Attack Force 5, AlieOnions, Rumble Bumbles, ZomBeez and Scary Monsters. They are all bullies in one form or another. There is nothing better than making friends and becoming a buddy with individuals you like and have a lot in common with. For any bullies that happen to be out there: Stop it. Be a Buddy, Not a Bully.
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.