BURRILLVILLE – I have been receiving requests to provide my Itty Bitty Super Dupers “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully!” coloring cartoons to grade schools, daycares, libraries and community centers recently due to issues of kids bullying other kids.
It’s very important that kids are not fearful when attending classes or any other venues in their communities. Visits anywhere outside the home should be safe and fun for children. Staying home because someone fears a bully or bullies is not any way to grow up. Bullying is a reality and there is no reason why we can’t make an effort to try and reduce this problem. Children can be taught to be kind and courteous in the home, school and any other community establishments.
Sharing is one way to teach kindness, and kids should be made to understand that bullying is not a tolerable behavior anywhere. Do not be a bully on a cell phone, not on the internet and especially not face-to-face. If a child feels bullied, it could have a diverse impact on them physically and emotionally. Teaching kids to just be nice to each other can immensely change little kids’ worlds. Having a safe environment can be taught to children. Ignoring bullying doesn’t make it go away. It’s all around us every single day. What children learn early in life remains with them into their teen years and adulthood.
Itty Bitty Super Dupers are very popular cartoon characters with little kids and one of their messages to kids is very clear: “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.
