How to Stand Up to Bullying explores the multifaceted nature of bullying, offering practical tools and empathetic insights to confront and redirect these behaviors for readers of all ages. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wrote, How to Stand Up to Bullying, during a raw moment in my life in which I allowed everything to pour out without holding back, from experiences in my youth to what I’ve learned along the way as an adult. The project, at first, was my personal way of just getting out what I held inside as something therapeutic. When I went back and reread what I wrote, I felt the need to publish it as soon as possible as it was something bigger than me and everyone could benefit from reading.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about bullying?
A misconception is that bullying is a phase in youth believed they will eventually grow out of and parents tend to shrug it off since they may have gone through bullying themselves as children. Some children may require more assistance in standing up for themselves, but if they don’t have the support they won’t always be successful.
What is one piece of advice that someone else gave you about bullying that has stayed with you today?
My mom would tell me when I was young to walk away and that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.” The common phrase is not entirely true since name-calling does hurt emotionally and leaves deep scars.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I hope readers take the subject matter series in what leads to bullying in the first place in order for everyone to have a part in standing up to it.
Bullying. Something that is done every second, daily. Don’t need a statistic to be told otherwise. Many don’t even realize they are a constant victim of bullying, as it tends to get buried as an underlying emotion. Many don’t realize they are actually a bully themselves. There are several references for parents to go to in order to help their children stand up against it, but there’s not much for adults or resources depicting why a bully is a bully in the first place. That’s the first step. Before we all can stand up to bullying, we must first understand why a bully bullies to begin with.
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