The Lesson on Bullying

You see this egg?

We're going to pretend that this egg is a person. She's quiet. She doesn't have very many friends. Maybe she's into different toys than you are. Maybe she's one of the smart kids, or maybe she's not. She's a little different than you.

She gets picked on. Someone calls her a name. Someone teases her about the way she talks. Someone makes fun of her glasses or her clothes. Someone pushes her on the playground. The kids exclude her from their games.
Now every time they are mean to her, they say "sorry". And some adults think that is just fine and done. But remember that she is an egg... and every time someone is cruel to her, her shell cracks a little. And day by day, her cracks go a little deeper, get a little longer. Until, CRASH! She breaks.

Now look at the egg. Look at the tiny pieces and the insides. Tell that egg that you are sorry. Did it magically go back together? Did the pieces fit back into place?
No. Because bullying hurts. Bullying makes cracks in people. The more someone is bullied, the deeper those cracks go. And just saying "I'm sorry" doesn't make it better, doesn't fix those cracks.
So, don't be a bully. Don't put cracks in other people. When you see someone bullying, stop it - tell them it's not right, or tell an adult. And show love and compassion to those who might be a little bit different. Because that is how you heal those cracks.


** Lately we've had some issues with name calling, teasing and even some hitting in our house - today I gave the 5 year old boys this lesson. I took an egg out of the fridge and we talked about it and looked at it whole. Then I bullied it, and threw it down (into a bowl on the kitchen floor, but it would have been even more dramatic if I had done it on the drive way). Then we talked about how the egg would still be broken even if I said sorry. I hope they 'got it'.