Not so far from the tree?

Fashion bullies. When people talk about the problems that children and young people have, there seems to be a sense in which those problems are isolated or contained…as if they had nothing to do with the adults (parents, teachers, etc.) in their lives.

Today’s WSJ has an article about the increase in bullying among girls, apparently driven by fashion. The fashion bullies mock other students who aren’t dressed in the latest, greatest fashion. There’s a lot of head shaking going on, but how about a reality check?

Children don’t come up with these ideas on their own. Someone has to put them in front of the tv, give them the money for the ridiculous teen magazines, buy them over-priced clothing, etc. Someone has to teach them how to act (or not act) towards others. What are the chances that they’re hearing their parents talk about other people and that they’re learning from them? Of course, those chances are slim when the parents aren’t around at all and children get all their information from television and the Internet. Ultimately, most children seem to imitate what’s around them. So perhaps the fruit falls not so far from the tree…

I still say that the biggest activists for society are parents who love each other, spend time with their children, and are not afraid to be parents for their children. To read the article, click here .