Bullies - Teen Suicide

High school can be a hard time for anyone. The unpopular kids are trying to be popular, the popular kids are trying to stay popular, kids are trying to just simply keep under the radar, or some kids are trying their best to study/work and get the future that they want. To simple put, High School is tough.

But as tough as High School is, it is still shocking to hear about all these high school teens committing suicide and what is more shocking, is the lack of parenting/patrolling that goes on with some of these kids and students.

The first story that I can really remember is Eric Mohat's; a quiet, sweet boy that took great enjoyment is drama, music, and theater. Unfortunately for Eric teasing and bullying quickly came his way. What first started off with name calling escalated to teasing, shoving, and even hitting.... most of this taking place in front of school officials. A good chunk of the bullying took place in Eric's math class, in front of his own teacher, which also happened to be the school's athletic coach. At one point another student actually told Eric that he might as well as go home and shoot himself cause no one would miss him.

Eric took so much bullying and received such little help from his school that he finally took his own life as an escape; he was only 17. Not only did Eric commit suicide, but apparently 3 other classmates are linked to committing suicide due to bullying at that school, a term that is now being referred to as bullycide. Eric's parent have filed a lawsuit against the school, not looking for money, for the lack of control at the school and for knowing what was going on with out helping the situation.

Another sad story is that of Phoebe Prince, a 15 year old girl that has just moved here from Ireland with her family in 2009. Apparently 3 girls at Phoebe's high school were mad at her because she dated an older boy that was a football player, he may or may not have been or linked to one of the girls. The 3 girls stalked, name called, shoved, and harassed Phoebe at school and online, even after the relationship ended. 3 weeks after the relationship Phoebe hanged herself, that was just last month.

Her parents also have filed a lawsuit against the school and the girls. The parents are upset that the school did not do anything about the situation. The school was aware of these 3 girls that were bullying because they had bullying and even beaten up another girl at the school.

One of the saddest stories that I just read about was Alexis Pilkington, a beautiful 17 year old girl that was a star soccer player, a good student, and well liked by many. She was graduating early from High School and even had a sports scholarship to college.

The reasons for her suicide have not been completely revealed, there are still some questions, but her suicide is believed to be because of bullying because even after her death, teens were still bullying..... no, you read that right, even after her death the kids didn't leave her alone.

Alexis's friends created a Facebook memorial page for ever to go to and see pictures and posts memories of their friend, only to find some anonymous people had posted, rude, sexual, and even violent comments. Some people even went as far as to post pictures of someone hanging them selves and people who had shot themselves in the head.

Alexis's father has not filed a lawsuit and has not blamed the school, he feels that their is more the story and that there was more affecting Alexis then just bullying. But either way, bullying was going on.

I hate to ask the obvious questions, but WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE KIDS!? Who is to blame, how do we fix this, and who's responsibility is this to make sure that this doesn't happen again? How much is the school to blame, since a good chuck of the situations took place in the

school. Teachers see what is going on, security guards are in the halls patrolling, and parents contact the school telling them what is happening, yet nothing seems to really change. But is that the schools fault when we live in days when teachers can bairly discipline children without the risk of lawsuits them selves or their jobs being at risk. Are teachers and school hands are tied so tightly that is there really isn't much that they can do besides an after school detention?

Is it the parents of the bullies fault since they have such cruel children and they are not patrolling their actions. Are the parents absent or did they simple under estimate the problem. Was it just too hard for these parents to realize that their children are bullies? It is parents responsibility to raise their children, but how liable are parents for the children's choices... only if they are aware of what is going on and do nothing or are all actions parents' responsibilities?

Also, what about the parents of the children that are bullied? Did they ignore a child's cry for help, where they too busy to listen, did they not take the situation to the right people for help? I would hate to blame the parents that have already lost their children, but could they have fixed the problem if they had listen to their children more... been more in tune with them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is their fault, just asking ... what if.

Obviously, the bullies are to blame.... simple, easy, no question about it. The bullies are to be blamed and they should be held liable... but, who else? Are these just situations to prove that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, that violence/sex on TV is really affecting children more than we can even imagine, or that it truly does take a village to raise a child and everyone needs to help?

All I do know is that no one wins in a situation like this, everyone looses. Families shattered, lives lost, some lives are in jeopardy of being flushed away by their actions, and everyone is hurting. Does anyone have a fix for the problem or is it too late? Can we fix the damage that has already been done to the children of this generation that are so busy trying to grow up too fast... with material items being a must, sex at such a young age, children getting pregnant, school shootings, and so much more. What is a parent, a school, a government suppose to do with all of this?

Breast Milk Ice Cream

Who doesn't love Ben & Jerry's ice cream? It always tastes amazing, has those cute funny little names, and made with all natural ingredients like soy, sugar, egg yolks, coconut oil, and breast milk. WHAT?! Breast milk!?!? Well, not yet, but that is what PETA is suggesting.

Apparently PETA (People for the Ethical Treating of Animals) sent a letter over to the company and founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield this week telling them cow's milk is hazardous and that milking cows is cruel. PETA is asking the ice cream company to begin using breast milk in its ingredient instead of cow's milk; claiming that it would reduce the suffering of cows and calves and give ice cream lovers a healthier product.

Okay, now for all of you right now reading this with your eyes the sizes of dinner plates, mouth open in shock... simply take deep breaths, think of a happy place, and have no worries, because Ben & Jerry are in no hurry to make this kind of moooooove. Apparently, they don't like the idea of breast milk on tap. So, have no fear, Chunky Monkey will stay breast milk free (wow, I never thought I would say that)... cause honestly, who wants to read on the ingredient label: Sugar, egg yolks, creme, and Helen Smith from Omaha, Nebraska. That just doesn't sound tasty.
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I have to admit something here though, what is PETA thinking! Seriously! I mean, don't get me wrong... I think it is great to keep animals safe, but honestly PETA... don't you think you have gone too far, especially saying that, "milking cows is cruel"? I wonder how many of them have seen how irritated/painful a cow gets when it hasn't gotten milked. I don't know about you all, but I breast fed and I know how I felt when I didn't nurse.... it was not pleasant and stained a lot of bras.

This whole thing just makes me wonder how far some people go or loose their way. I am all for people making sure animals a treated right. I am an animal lover and don't understand how some people could purposely hurt such sweet things, but this thing is a joke. If PETA doesn't wants us to eat cows and doesn't want us to drink from cows, then what do they want us to do with them? If they don't have a purpose, why would we need so many? Honestly... if cows don't have a need, they would loose their numbers and could really go extinct and that would not cause a problem, cause seriously, they aren't really much good for anything else. In fact, the environmentalists could then argue that cows serve no purpose and say they give off too much methane with all their fartin' and need to go because they are destroying the o-zone layer (wait, do we still care about the o-zone layer?). Then next thing you know Hollywood stars are THEN going to be popping up everywhere saying "Screw the whales, save the cows!".

So, how far it too far? Has PETA crossed a very disgusting line, or opened a new door for animal safety, or proven that they won't be happy till we stop eating animals and embrace cannibalism? But all joking aside, I think it is good that PETA looks out for animals, tries to keep laws about meat production companies, and cruelty. I can understand why some people aren't comfortable with hunting, are vegetarians, or have 20 cats, but I don't get how someone could honestly suggest that I start feeding my family breast milk ice cream. I mean, I know that men are all fans of the boobies, but I don't think they had something like THAT in mind.

Tell me what you think. Do you like the idea of giving cows the pink slip and start pumping the mommies?

iPod Problems

WFMW
I need some help with a situation I have been dealing with for a while now. I have actually already posted about this issue and got no where with Apple, but since Rocks In My Dryer had this WFMW problem/solution theme, I figured... hey... maybe I can get some more help. It all starts with my husband being a sweet heart that saved up and bought me a beautiful video iPod. I had an old hand-me down iPod soooo.... I used my old one for a while cause I just couldn't get myself to use such a nice iPod....yea yea I am a little paranoid and O.C.D. with my nice stuff.

But finally I get my new iPod out of its box and start putting music on it all a while I drooling over it and calling it "My Precious"; but then I looked down (wiped away the drool) and noticed something. I peel away the protective plastic screen and there are monstrous scratches and cracks from the spin wheel clear up into the screen! I was floored! I was so sad...my beautiful iPod...the nicest thing that I owed....the present my husband saved up for and bought me. I started crying and worked myself up and was worried about what I was going to tell my husband because I knew he would be sad too.

I got talking with my sister later that day and she informed me that she has heard Apple has an amazing warranty and is really good about fixing things. All I can tell you is that I was so relieved and was able to calm down and stopped worrying about it.

A while later I called Apple and told them what happened and ask if it was covered under warranty and explained everything to them; How my husband had bought it, hung on to it, gave it to me a while later, then I opened it and saved it for when I needed it, and then noticed it was cracked. I was worried that they wouldn't fix it because they thought we did it ourselves. Especially since there was such a gap from my husband buying it, giving it to me, and me noticing the cracks. But the man on the phone insisted SEVERAL times that yes, it would be covered....as long as we didn't do it ourselves, which apparently they can do tests to see if it was. Such as if it had water damage or dropped hard. So... slam dunk...no problem... WHAMMY....my problems were over, it was going to get fixed because we sure didn't do anything like that.

Well, we shipped off the iPod and I couldn't wait till I got my new or fixed iPod. A few days later I get the package and was soooo excited. We open it up and pull out my brand new.....wait a minute!...... it was the SAME freakin' iPod! Curtis looks at me and we are both thinking the same thing.....what in the name of Zeus!

I get on the phone, call Apple and ask why they didn't fix my iPod. The teller 'informed' me that since the damage did not affect the usage of the iPod then it did not need to be fixed. I went on to explain that having a impaired screen of a video iPod DID, in fact, affect the usage. After about 30 mins of talking, arguing, and even some crying I was apparently wrong; video iPods don't need to have correct visible screens to be considered working, I guess. The things you learn...ehh?

So what do I do? How do I go about this? My husband saved and spent good money to surprise his wife with a present that they normally couldn't afford and was cheated out of his purchase. If this had happened to you what would be your next step? How would you handle this?

High School Pregnancy Pact

I was getting ready to sit down and right a nice post; something just sweet and cute for mommies Well, I was, until I saw this headline....

"Teen ‘pregnancy pact’ has 17 girls expecting"

No, joke! That is for real! I couldn't believe the headline when I saw it, so of course, I clicked on the title to read the full story. I was hoping to be reassured that it couldn't be what it looked like, but unfortunately it was everything that it seemed.

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A group of girls at a high school in Massachusetts all made a pact to get pregnant and raise their little babies together. As of now, they know that there are at least 17 young girls that successfully got pregnant, many of them 16 years old or younger.

WHAT THE CRAP!? Apparently these high school Twinkies think raising babies is all strolling through the park and dress up... maybe they should read my freak out post from yesterday.

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But unfortunately these girls hold stupidity to a new level, because.... since they were looking to get pregnant not all of them had boyfriends or a guy in the school that were so willing to jump into parenthood... SOOOOOO... some of them ran off and found 20-something year old guys or even in some situations, HOMELESS MEN, to knock them up!

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The whole story to me is sad and sickening with these girls doing something stupid and taking a huge gamble with the future lives of these babies, but one of the most infuriating issues with this situation is that the article then proceeds to talk about the Principal not returning calls, the school wasn't handing out condoms, and that the school hasn't decided what they will do with the students.
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When did birth control and sex become a school issue! What happened to their parents? Where are the adults in these girls lives? Why it is a Principal's job to keep 2,000 students from making bad personal choices? Is anybody else out there wondering why the media, parents, and officials are putting the fault and blame on the schools?

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I know and understand that parents can't always be with the children and that if kids want to get into trouble they can, but to have 17 girls choose and want to get pregnant and to think that is a GOOD idea, is just mind blowing. Why are the girls even having sex.... there is something sad in thinking these girls are more practised in the bed than behind the wheel of a car.

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I don't want to prejudge... I am sure that maybe some of these girls could be going through a hard time and are lashing out. I don't know these girls and I don't know why they are choosing this for themselves and their babies. I don't know if they have lost a family member or their parents are in the middle of a divorce or they even see stars like Jamie-Lynn Spears making pregnancy look fun and hip. But I still wonder how soooo many of those girls could make such a sad choice for themselves and such a selfish one.

So my questions is, are you as infuriated as I am? Do you feel like it is the school's fault and if it is the schools fault, do you think they should have more control/disciplinary action over the students behavior? If it is the parents fault, do you think they are not teaching their kids right? Do you feel parents do not spend enough time talking with their children or leading by example?

Well, whoever is to blame, the parents not paying enough attention, children being too spoiled these days, or schools talking too much about sex, I simply hope that these girls' parents try to help their daughters make the right choice for these babies. I am biased for adoption because my husband is adopted. His birth mother and father were high school sweethearts that got pregnant in school; they were even great students, track runners, and in love, but they still gave Curtis up. I have talked with Curtis several times about this and asked him if he ever felt abandoned or "given up" and his answered surprised me. He informed me that he is thankful every day that his birth mom and dad gave him up, that they cared enough about him to do that for him. He said he has never felt abandonment, nothing but love, both from his birth parents and from his adoptive parents. So what ever is best for these babies, to be raised by the birth mom or to be given to a couple longing for a child... I hope that everything will work out.