Live and Let Live Foundation
The foundation is formed for our daughter "Live" and was formed for the purpose to educate educators, parents and their children
that bullying leaves scars that don't heal, and the way we deal with this issue, what we say and do to address it and counteract it is
vitally important.
Live is a 12 year old beautiful and artistic young lady who has her own style of dressing, is on the honor roll, and despite this, or
because of this, she is verbally abused on a daily basis at school. She is called "ugly", "fat", a "lesbian", a "retarded faggot",
"weird", "stupid", "slow", "emo", "goth" and she has been threatened: to be physically hurt, stabbed with a pencil and smashed with
a locker door by both girls and boys.
We are lucky that Live speaks to us so we can advise the School and they can react. However, there are many kids who are
shamed and/or embarrassed to say or do anything. Because of the repetitive nature of the abuse, the children start to believe what
is said. Some children isolate, some retaliate and some hurt themselves as they can't take the bullying anymore. We all have to
stop this horrible conduct and understand that the verbal abuse is worse than the physical abuse in so many ways. One educator's
reaction to the above bullying was that the student did not know the meaning of what was said and that the student is a "jokester".
This is not a joke and the student(s)know exactly what they are saying. Kids bully other kids as: "mean is cool and kindness is
weakness", along with the fact that kids have poor self-esteem and they are putting other kids down to make themselves feel
better, or they are emulating what others do and say.
What "Live and let Live" means: let's all "Live" together, accept our differences and learn to know that what we say and do in life
will have a permanent damaging effect on others. Do not judge other people by what they look like, what they wear or what
nationality they are. Make a friend based on the goodness of their heart and "Live" by a code of conduct that you expect others to
follow. You set the trend; you defend those in need; you make the difference; and you reach out to others. Martin Luther King said,
words to the effect: "don't look down upon another man unless you are trying to help him up". Let's practice what he preached, not
just today, buy every day of our lives.
The foundation is formed for our daughter "Live" and was formed for the purpose to educate educators, parents and their children
that bullying leaves scars that don't heal, and the way we deal with this issue, what we say and do to address it and counteract it is
vitally important.
Live is a 12 year old beautiful and artistic young lady who has her own style of dressing, is on the honor roll, and despite this, or
because of this, she is verbally abused on a daily basis at school. She is called "ugly", "fat", a "lesbian", a "retarded faggot",
"weird", "stupid", "slow", "emo", "goth" and she has been threatened: to be physically hurt, stabbed with a pencil and smashed with
a locker door by both girls and boys.
We are lucky that Live speaks to us so we can advise the School and they can react. However, there are many kids who are
shamed and/or embarrassed to say or do anything. Because of the repetitive nature of the abuse, the children start to believe what
is said. Some children isolate, some retaliate and some hurt themselves as they can't take the bullying anymore. We all have to
stop this horrible conduct and understand that the verbal abuse is worse than the physical abuse in so many ways. One educator's
reaction to the above bullying was that the student did not know the meaning of what was said and that the student is a "jokester".
This is not a joke and the student(s)know exactly what they are saying. Kids bully other kids as: "mean is cool and kindness is
weakness", along with the fact that kids have poor self-esteem and they are putting other kids down to make themselves feel
better, or they are emulating what others do and say.
What "Live and let Live" means: let's all "Live" together, accept our differences and learn to know that what we say and do in life
will have a permanent damaging effect on others. Do not judge other people by what they look like, what they wear or what
nationality they are. Make a friend based on the goodness of their heart and "Live" by a code of conduct that you expect others to
follow. You set the trend; you defend those in need; you make the difference; and you reach out to others. Martin Luther King said,
words to the effect: "don't look down upon another man unless you are trying to help him up". Let's practice what he preached, not
just today, buy every day of our lives.
