I wore blue that day

I wore blue and I changed my profile pic and I posted blue hearts on Instagram. I hash-tagged #doitfordolly and I hash-tagged #stopbullynow.

As a nation felt heartbroken learning that bullying had yet again claimed the ultimate price – a life – we all felt united in wanting to make changes. Or at least some of us did.

It didn’t last long I suppose – it’s always difficult to maintain momentum of a mass movement – to see large and impactful results simply by all agreeing that something has to stop. And it certainly seems that the battle continues, the bullying increases and the number of our children carrying the burden of trying to escape cruel and vindictive attacks on social media is horrendous.

I know. I know because we are going through it. Let me tell you as a mother, it is a terrifying experience. As a child, well I just can’t really imagine – but I try. So what do we do …

We, as parents, must come together and understand we are all on the same team – we are there to guide our children through their times of growth, learning and at times, trouble. We are there as parents and should communicate with each other – not a finger pointing blame game, but a coming together to create better resolutions for our kids.

They all deserve to attend school in an environment free of atrocious name calling and bullying. They deserve to be themselves, good at some sports bad at others, a keen learner in one subject and disinterested in another – they are individuals and each and every one of them is important.

I hope one day we will live in a better world. But I fear it is a long time coming, unless we all take action.

So my question, at the start of this year, at the very start of the school year is “which type of parent are you going to be?” I’m going to be one that stands up to bullying, and I would like to do this in a collaborative, caring, non-judgmental and united approach. I hope you join me, I hope you want this world to be a better place.

What a woman wants is for no one to hurt their child, and what a woman always understands is that it is a cruel world and one we must be prepared for – but please stand with me to take the very real risk of irreversible harm occurring in our school yards, in our homes via social media, on our sports fields.

I’m all for fighting the enemy, but this is “friendly fire”. Our children are being hurt by those they are meant to be able to trust and play alongside.

Please talk to your children. Talk to them about their friendships, how they feel, who is being hurt, and what they can do. Maybe we can make a difference, and not wait for another sad day of “wearing blue for Dolly” to occur to make us realise how real this risk is.

I stand up with dignity and strength, I support my child, and I say no to bullying.

Please stand with me.

Abby Crawford

Don’t forget you can reach me at [email protected]