Bullying is, sadly, a fact of life for many kids. Figuring out how to respond to it is always a challenge.
A seven-year-old Rhode Island boy has dealt with bullying and developed a unique response: creating videos to help other kids who are in a similar situation.
His empathy, and his message, are truly inspirational.
Rowyn's going into the second grade this fall, and is already used to dealing with bullies.
He started making YouTube videos on his channel, Rollin' with Rowyn, as a way to explain his journey. He hopes other kids will find some comfort in knowing that they're not alone.
"When I make videos, it makes me feel happy that other people can watch them and feel happy," he told ABC. "If they're getting picked on or if they're shy or something, they can watch the videos."
"With bullies, it doesn't matter what they think of you, it matters what you think about yourself," Rowyn explained. "It's good to embrace yourself and tell other people who you are."
This is powerful advice not just for schoolkids, but for everyone.
Rowyn's whole YouTube presence should serve as a beacon to bullied kids to show them that they're not alone.
Additionally, Rowyn seeks to be an advocate for these kids whenever he can. He makes an effort to befriend and include kids who might otherwise be left out.
It's tough for a kid in grade school to cope with being bullied. It's also tough for a kid in grade school to show empathy for other bullied kids. But Rowyn, through his messages, has been able to do both.
"We just kind of talked about how you need to embrace yourself, and how it's not important what other people think of you," Rowyn's mom, Michelle, told ABC.
"It's important to just be yourself, and he really took that to heart. He really wanted to do videos after we talked about that."
Rowyn ends each of his videos with a plea for his viewers: always be kind.
That seems like a good place to leave off.
Let us know what you think of Rowyn's message in the comments below, and be sure to check out Rollin' with Rowyn on YouTube!
