Teen Suicides

What is going on with our children? They're being bullied to the point that they just can't handle it anymore and are taking their own lives. A parent is not meant to bury their child and a bully is not better than anyone else. What gives a bully the right to decide that their clothes are better or their hair is nicer or that they're just an all around nicer person?
Bullies have been around since the beginning of time. They were there when I was a little girl and they were there when my mom was a little girl, and probably around when my grandmother was a little girl. Have they gotten meaner or have our children gotten weaker?
Someone said that children are coddled too much these days and protected from way too many real life problems that will face them every day in adulthood. But is this true? Do we, as parents, fail to teach our children that there are nasty people out there that they will inevitably meet and do we teach them how to handle such people? Or do we sweep it under the rug, telling our children to just ignore the bully and he'll/she'll go away?

In my personal opinion, I think that children have gotten meaner. There is virtually no discipline in the schools nor at home. Teachers are afraid to discipline for fear of the school being sued. Parents are afraid to discipline for fear of being arrested for child abuse. Children are afraid to tell an authority figure about the bullying because they fear the retribution that will only get worse instead of better.
Children have no guidance when they get home to an empty house with both parents working. There's also too many ways nowadays to dole out their abuse. The internet and cell phones are devices that we did not have when we were children. So the bullied child not only faces the abuse and taunting at school but now has to face it on Facebook and MySpace for the whole world to see.
Children should not be afraid to approach a teacher or a principal about the bullying and know that the problem will be dealt with. They should also be able to talk to their parents about the bullying and have the parents help them deal with it.
The sad fact is that both parents need to work today to pay the bills. It's not like when we were young and had one parent, usually our moms, home waiting for us when we got home from school.
The family as we remember it ceases to exist for the most part. Children are left alone for too long. They sit in front of their computers and socialize on the computer when they should be socializing in person, throwing a ball, riding a bike, laughing out loud with friends.
Suicide is not the answer. A friend said once, it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. But it will only be a temporary problem if adults step up to protect our children and teach them that it's okay to stand up to a bully and it's okay to tell someone about it. Let them know that there is someone who will help.

If you love your parents and siblings, think of the impact a suicide will have on them if you end your life. They are the ones who will suffer, not the bully who drove you to it. The bully will not feel any remorse and will only transfer his taunts onto his/her next victim. And the bully will win. Think about that the next time you think about pulling that trigger or jumping from that bridge. The ones you love are the ones who are going to suffer, probably for the rest of their lives. And they will also blame themselves.