"Sit with me." National Bullying Prevention Month

Walk into any middle school cafeteria and you'll see social dynamics in overdrive.

As children transition from the safety and structure of elementary school to middle and high school, the lunchroom, like the school bus and the locker room, is a place where kids begin making choices with less adult supervision. All part of growing up, gaining independence and maturing - yes. All necessary - yes. Yet, surprisingly, sometimes the lunchroom can be a lonely place.

I've received a good bit of feedback from parents of middle schoolers and even a few parents of high school-age children who have had a hard go of it at lunch time. Children who, upon leaving elementary school, suddenly found themselves sitting alone in the cafeteria week after week. And young adults who found their high school lunch periods a little too long on time and a little too short on friends. Parents have shared the sadness, and with it, the shame their children feel sitting alone day after day. "It's an isolating experience," one parent stated, "and somewhat humiliating, being rejected - or not even noticed - by a room full of one's peers."

Read on to see what a school in California did to bring awareness to this issue. Many schools have followed suit, with students even creating 'Sit with me" apps on their phones.

Maybe times are changing.

Or maybe, just maybe, our children are becoming more aware of friends who need friends.

So ... will you sit with me? Or him? Or her? Or us? Please ask.

Lauri

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