Over the past few months, countless teens have committed suicide after incessant bullying and harassment from peers. Many of these teens were gay and lesbian, but not all of them. Purple Day 2010 falls on October 20 (today) and is a day dedicated to raising awareness of bullying and helping to find a resolution for this out of control trend.
While many are reporting that Purple Day is directed specifically towards gay and lesbian bullying, we at Kidglue encourage you to talk to your kids about bullying in general. Regardless of sexual orientation, many kids are being bullied in school – some to the point where they convince themselves there’s no way out.
Here are some ways you (and your children) can show your support for the fight against bullying:
- Wear Purple. Wearing purple on October 20 is the best way to show your support. A purple sweatshirt, t-shirt, accessories, coat (or all of the above) will show that you’re willing to be part of the solution, not the problem. Send your kids to school in these colors to help spread the word.
- Facebook and Twitter. Change your Facebook profile pics to purple. Change your Twitter backgrounds to purple. Change the color of your text to purple. Anything you can possibly do to make your social media accounts look purple will make a difference.
- Make a Purple Dinner. If you have young children, this will really get their attention. If you’re making dinner tonight, add purple food coloring to the food and drinks. Immediately, your children will ask what it’s all about and it’s a perfect (and fun) opportunity for you to explain what the color means and why it’s so important to treat others with respect. Trust us, they won’t forget this conversation.
- Spread the word. Don’t just wear purple, tell everyone you see today why you’re wearing it (and encourage your kids to do the same). Don’t just change your Facebook pic to purple, post a message explaining what you’re doing. Don’t just change your Twitter pic or background, tweet messages all day about the negative effects of bullying. Most of all, teach your children about Purple Day. Tell them how millions of people from all over the world are coming together to win the fight against bullying. After all, the children are the future; If we can’t relay the right message to them, what will the world be like 20 years from now?
Help do your part: leave your comments below, tweet this post to your friends or send it to them in an email. Together we can make the world better for our children.
