Can't Believe I'm Thinking About This.

So the other night I watched the new Dateline, "My Kid Would Never... Bully", and it really got me thinking about a lot of shit that I really didn't expect to be thinking about at 25 and my kids being ages 4 and 9 months. 

I understand that a lot of this was staged, and there has been some talk about the legitimacy of the situations that they had on the show, but that doesn't change the real issue and the fact that the whole bullying thing is majorly out of control these days. 

I really found it very interesting, especially the fact that the kids that actually "stood up" for the "victims" were so few and far between. I mean there were lots of kids who looked extremely uncomfortable and stuff, but only a couple that actually said something. (That one girl, Lily, she was bad ass and I loved her for standing up for that other girl!  She rocked!) 

The main focus of the show was the bystanders in these situations and the fact that they are very important in stopping this cycle and standing up for other kids. Which I have never really thought about, I guess. When I was growing up, if you were picked on, that shit was between you and the bully. Nobody else. 

I remember how hard it was to be picked on in school, and I know that it is much, much worse today than it was the short time ago when it was happening to me. I feel like I am really unprepared to handle this. I feel like I am a bit premature in worrying about this, but hell, I hear that they bully shit can start at as young as 5, and sisters, I am almost there. 

I hope so much that my kids are not bullied, but even more, I hope that they are not the bully. I know that they will more likely than not be picked on for something. That's just the way it works. But I hope so badly, that they will be the kind of boys that will stand up for others. The boys that will say "you can't treat another person this way". I don't know how you teach  someone that. I really don't. 

This has been weighing on my heart ever since I watched the show, and I am still a little lost on how I should be dealing with this with Tater. I guess the main question is, how in the hell do I raise him to be the right kind of person? 

Did any of you watch the Dateline special on bullying? 

What did you think? What are your thoughts on dealing with bullying with your own children? 

I would love to hear!