Summer Vacation

Right now, I'm waiting for my son to finish his last day of 4th grade. When I think back to when school was wrapping up during the early school years for me, it brought mixed emotions. I remember being excited for the break but sad that I wouldn't get to see my friends everyday. As I got older, it became clear that the friends that really mattered would still be there during the summer break and summer vacation was nothing but joyous from that point forward.

For kids that were bullied during the school year back in my day and age, summer vacation meant a reprieve from the torture. Today however, that break from bullying isn't always there. For my son, he doesn't have a cell phone with text or web capabilities. He doesn't have a Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace account. The kids that he'll play with over the summer are kids that I know the parents of. For him, summer is still an adventure that means trips to the water park, visits to see family in Michigan, and seemingly endless days of sleeping in.

My sister is finishing 7th grade today. She is the complete opposite of my son. She has the cell phone and Ipod that can get her on the web and has her Facebook account that she's on each and every day. My sister doesn't usually censor her thoughts before she posts them. She'll make a comment that to people who know her well are completely innocent. The haters that visit her page everyday on the other hand will take these innocent comments as ammunition to use against her.

During the summer break, I fear that the cyberbullying is going to continue and strengthen as the weeks pass on. The only advantage to that is that I have the ability to monitor every status update, comment, photo tag, or email that gets passed along to her. When she's at school, I take it on faith that she tells me everything that happened throughout the day. I'm not naive, I know that more goes on that she's willing to discuss and I can't protect her from what I don't know about.

I'm hoping that over the next few months, I can comment on stories and news articles that I find on the subject of bullying from around the world. I do not want to have to incorporate tales of bullying that hit close to home, but I will if it comes to that.

Today, my only wish is that every child can enjoy a peaceful, memorable, and fun summer vacation. Tonight, I implore everyone to sit down with your child and plan one fun summer activity to do together. Make this summer one they won't forget.