I Can Be Your Friend

The cover of PEOPLE magazine this week says “Teen Suicide Tragedies – Deadly Bullying”. The story inside the magazine covers how at least three teens were tormented by their classmates and took their own lives within the last month. Unfortunately, about a year and a half ago, we had the same thing happen here in our community. Bullying is a REAL and powerful thing!

Why do people bully? Well, according to one popular website: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/why-do-people-bully.html
Here are just a few reasons -
*Children who experience social rejection themselves are more likely to "pass it on" to others.
*Families that are not warm and loving and in which feelings are not shared are more likely to have children who bully, either within the family home or in other locations in which the children meet others. Another home environment that is prone to producing bullies is one in which discipline and monitoring are inconsistent and/or a punitive atmosphere exists.
*The fact that one gets more social recognition for negative behaviors than for positive ones can also contribute to bullying.

We’ve all probably heard the saying, “Everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten.” Well, today my son and I took my granddaughter to a Veggie Tales Silly Songs concert. One of the songs – “I Can Be Your Friend” - is so simple, but it’s so true. Maybe if kids learned it and lived it, we wouldn’t have to worry so much about bullying. I’ve included the words below.

I Can Be Your Friend – Veggie Tales
Have you ever seen a boy with funny clothes?
A girl with braces on her teeth or freckles on her nose?
Some kids call them odd balls; some kids call them weird
Is it my imagination or does aunt Ruth have a beard?

God makes lots of people in all colors, shapes and sizes
He loves them very much and what we need to realize is
That calling people names because they're different is wrong
Instead we need to look on them in love and sing this song

[chorus]
I can be your friend
I can be your friend
Any day in any weather
We can be friends and play together

Yeah we’re all pretty different; some are skinny some are stout
But the inside is the part were supposed to care about
Aye that’s why we have feelings that are very much the same
So instead of saying weirdo, I think friend’s a better name

[chours]
I can be your friend
I can be your friend
If your hair is red or yellow
We can have lunch; I'll share my Jell-O

I can be your friend
I can be you friend