It’s time to take the bull by the horn. Enough is enough. This is the time when force is necessary. Forcing ourselves to take action and to notice. I am sure that you have noticed recent news stories about bullying. Young people who have dealt with bullying in the most extreme ways on both sides – the bullies and the victims.

The newest story strikes close to home for me. The death of 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer who attended the high school where I graduated. The teen who felt overcome by bullying, committed suicide.

Don’t you think it’s time to Stomp Out Bullying? 1 in 4 kids will be bullied. And bullying doesn’t just occur on the school grounds. It can happen in cyber space as well. Nearly half of all kids have been bullied online.

With this many kids being affected it means that it is not long before it happens to your child. And the hard truth is if it doesn’t happen to your child, your child could be the one doing the bullying. Repeatedly hurting or scaring by calling them hurtful or derogatory names, to physical violence or even sending threatening text messages are just some of the forms bullying can take.

We can make a difference by being bull-headed on this subject. Parents, teachers, communities and kids must have a zero tolerance policy on bullying. Kids can support one other by comforting a friend who has been bullied and helping them to tell an adult. Adults from parents to teachers must model the correct behavior in home and in our schools to stop what can be a learned behavior. Parents must encourage their kids to “tell” about being bullied or if they notice someone else in school being bullied.

We all must notice. If we haven’t been bullied, we have noticed it. It’s time to Stomp Out Bullying. For more information go to www.stompoutbullying.org .