When I was living in Logan, going to Utah State, I had the best job a girl could ask for. I was on the orientation staff, or as we were lovingly named, the A-Team. This job gave me countless friends and experiences that I may have never had otherwise.
One of those friends, Adam, was a father of 5 kids (at the time...little Wink hadn't arrived yet) and had an awesome wife, Tiffany, that would make dozens and dozens of homemade donuts and offer their home to us to come be friends together. They would invite people for game nights, they would let people come watch their kids (I say "let" here, because they are seriously the greatest kids ever. I love them, even though they probably don't even remember who I am anymore). The point is, I look up to this family so much. Their kids are spunky, hilarious, kind, unique, and all-around great kids, with great parents. I marvel at some of the posts on social media from Tiff about something one of her kids did that shows me they are being raised right and are truly remarkable.
So, when I heard that their oldest daughter, Taylor, was the victim of some cyber bullying, it was a little hard to believe. It's been a few years since I've had the chance to interact with Taylor, but when I did know her, I knew her to be a funny, outgoing, lovable teenage girl that got along with everyone. I'm sure since that time she's only grown to be more lovable.
So, Adam, being the sweet father he is, decided he would do something about it. He didn't show up at this bully's house with a shotgun. He didn't retort on Twitter with hateful words to this person. He didn't tell Taylor to tell this person where to go. Instead he decided to be positive. He reached out and had people tweet to Taylor, letting her know she is valued, worth something, loved and appreciated. Nobody deserves to be put down, and my Aggie family made sure Taylor knew that.
Since yesterday, the response has been amazing. Taylor has received hundreds of tweets letting her know she's wonderful. It has been incredible to read these tweets that are combating with kindness. This family, this 15-year-old girl with a heart of gold, my peers, all have made me see how much brightness there can be if we are simply kind to one another.
Join the movement by tweeting to @Taylor_Vail and let her know that she is so much more than those negative words.
#TaylorVail
#bepositive
