I have to thank Julie McDonald-Smith for the lesson I took from her two recent columns. I realized that bullies are created when instead of teaching our children tolerance, compassion, and respect for difference, we model the us-them attitude that rises from fear – an attitude that can only be upheld by the denigration of the “other.” This was so clearly illustrated when McDonald-Smith in one column suggests school prayer as a remedy for bullying, then in the next column tosses off snide remarks worthy of a middle school mean-girl.

I, too, have some fears, but now I’ll pay closer attention to how my remarks and attitudes affect the young people in my life. (And I guess I should pray for Julie.)

Lisa Wilson
Yarmouth