We Hear You, Keaton Jones
Earlier this morning, I finally broke down and watched the Keaton Jones video. I had been putting it off for days now.
I saw the video of Keaton Jones circulating around social media over the weekend, but I couldn't bring myself to watch it. In the still shot of the video, all I saw were tears streaming down this young boy's face and it broke my heart.
If you haven't seen the video, I highly recommend watching it. It's tough to sit through, but Keaton shares an extremely important message.
When I first watched the video, one thing stood out to me the most - his compassion. This poor kid is trying to understand why these kids are teasing him. He also mentions that he's not the only one suffering, and even encourages kids that are dealing with bullying to hang in there.
I was moved by his compassion and urge to understand why he's being treated this way. He never once showed anger or hatred for what's happened to him, and that's the kind of love we all need to have for each other.
The truth is, we aren't perfect. We've all teased people at some point in our lives, but it wasn't until recently that this issue really got the spotlight...and thank goodness it did. Now, with the help of social media and the brave individuals that are using it as a tool to speak out, we are seeing the repercussions of these actions first-hand.
Now, I'm not a parent yet, but I promise to vouch for those who need a voice, especially my own child, and teach my kids the importance of kindness. I was teased throughout middle school and high school. I know what it's like to not want to go to lunch, much like Keaton, but I never faced the amount of cruelty he has. School should be where we feel the most safe and comfortable, besides our own homes, yet so many kids fear going to school because it's a playground for predators and bullies.
At the end of the day, it's important to teach kids compassion, much like Keaton's mother has so fantastically done with him. And it's not only bad parenting...some of it is just kids not knowing how their words and actions truly affect other people. Some of it might also be that the kids that are bullying are hurting as well and choose to channel their anger and resentment toward other innocent kids. Whatever the case may be, it's important we continue talking about it. It was inspiring to see so many people step up and support Keaton. We need to continue broadcasting this problem until it fades.
We hear you, Keaton. We support you. You are not alone.