The Family Resource and Reading Fair 4:30-6:30 p.m. tonight at Estherville High School will focus on a very important theme - Sticks and Stones - or bullying.
After activities from 4:30-6:30 p.m., Mike Donahue will present a program, Walk a Mile, an anti-bullying program that focuses on respect and dignity.
If you haven't heard yet that bullying is a serious problem in schools around the country, then you just haven't been listening. It's an epidemic.
Whether it's physical, emotional, social or on the Internet, bullying targets kids and unfairly demeans them, trying to tear down their self-esteem.
And the effects can last a lifetime.
Kids who are bullied can perform poorly in school, decrease their participation in sports and activities and have their social interaction thwarted - things that can have a direct impact on the college they get into and the jobs they can get.
Kids who are bullied may turn to drugs or alcohol to cope, and they may even become bullies themselves, acting out the behaviors that have been practiced upon them by others.
It's probably no surprise that the bullying epidemic came to public attention after the Colombine shootings. Indeed, many of the youth who have turned to school violence were bullied.
This presentation could be invaluable if you have a child who may be bullied. Is your child more introverted? Does he or she seem to not have any friends? Have your child's grades fallen without any real explanation? Well bullying could well be the cause.
Every parent of a younger child should attend this important event.