Firstly, before I start, I would like to thank cyber-bullies everywhere for making this story possible. And for the parents who read this, remember that your children may not always tell they are being bullied or that they are bullying others. Because a lot of the time, they do not even know.

In the video below, American teens read out loud “mean tweets” they have received in an attempt to clearly illustrate the cyber-bullying problems facing the modern school child. ‘Bullying.org is dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving and eliminating bullying in society.’

Okay, we got the blurb out the way, the “official” tag line, but whatever happened to the old adage: “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me”?

That’s what my father drummed into me as a child. “Turn the other cheek” was also a favourite.

Maybe I was just a stupid listener. My idea of turning the other cheek was throwing a punch, because dammit, words did hurt. Even back in my day.

They really cut deep. In fact, nothing hurts more!

We were not a rich family and hand-me-downs were a thing back then. So I would get my brother’s old bike, blazer, etc. It’s how we survived.

Now I look at my children with their fancy smartphones, talking in a new trendy lingo with words like ‘sound bites’ and ‘screen munching’. Things I can barely comprehend.

I can’t protect them like my dad did for me with words alone.

Touchscreens and keyboards are spewing forth vitriolic attacks designed not just to demean, dis-engender or hurt, but to destroy at an alarming rate. So I tell my children not to turn the other cheek, but to come to daddy. Because, luckily for them, their daddy is a wordsmith and he knows how to click, un-follow, unfriend and block on a multitude of social media platforms.

And he isn’t afraid to use it, so #that!