Bystander Behavior

I think that one of my biggest problems with being a bystander would definitely be when it comes to my friends dating lives. Many times I just don’t feel like I can give them the advice on whom to or not to date. This did not really have an impact on me until this past year. My friend was dating a guy who was a nice guy, but I knew he was just not good enough for her. She gave me the news that she was pregnant, and at first her baby daddy was being completely supportive. Since then, things have definitely changed for the worse. They are no longer dating. She is due in June, and is having a baby girl. He now prefers to refer to their daughter as an “it,” and told my best friend that she might as well “give it up for adoption.” I wish that I had told my best friend that he wasn’t good for her.
Another situation that I have been a bystander to would have to be the alcohol problems in my family. When I was younger, I did not necessarily understand any of it. Now that I am older, I should tell my dad that his drinking bothers me and that it worries me for his health.

When I was in high school I had a tendency to be drawn to guys that treated me horribly. The aftermath of this is that my heart has been shattered time and time again, and I find it incredibly hard to trust. There are many situations that occurred because of that time, one in particular, which has drastically affected my life. If there was anything that I wish someone would have stepped in to save me from hurting this would be it.

I don’t think college students speak up because we feel it’s not “our place.” I believe that college students are so consumed with living their own lives that they don’t take the time to look around and see what anyone other than themselves are doing. College students also do not want to be labeled as “judgmental.”