I was never physically bullied but I was mentally bullied... and that is just as bad, as we know.
I was teased beginning at age 10 when my Mom became divorced from my alcoholic father. She moved us 3 kids to live with her sister's family in a small town were we were teased because we didn't have a dad. I remember being very shameful about would cry in silence. As I grew I realized what a great favour my Mom had given us by leaving an alcoholic.
I was also teased because I was painfully thin. It was non-stop... I was called "Bones". Now I know there are so many worse names to be called... but that dug to the depth of my soul... my mom could hardly afford food and we'd wait every week for our dead-beat Dad to "wire" us $10 per child (today's version of child support would be MUCH higher!!). I'm fat now... so what's the big deal?!! And I wish people would call me bones
----------------
I can also remember being a bully and feeling very ashamed about it. My sister, a girlfriend and myself lured a girl to come and play with us. We phoned her to meet us, then hid and laughed from our hiding spot when she came and we weren't there. Debbie was different... she had a high pitched voice and was what we called "sucky-sweet"...
I don't think she saw us ... and I am forever sorry as that was so mean. As an adult I have run into her and I am always nice.
-----------------
When my oldest was in Grade 4 I was phoned by a mother to ask if all the mothers could meet with the boys as our sons were bullying her son. I gave it some thought and chose, instead, to talk to my son about ... hoped that the other parents did the same. I felt that in bringing us all together, it woud make things worse for her son. We didn't hear about it again so I am presuming things got better. They eventually moved away.
----------------------
When my youngest son was in high school his best friends were twins, born on the same day as Adam. They were tiny boys, and as a result, quite tough and lippy... as they had to be in order to stand up to the big world. Adam told me of a time when the boys were duct taped together... one standing up and the other with his body against his brothers, upside down... to this day I am sick thinking of this humiliation... my son said there was little he could do except tell the bullies to stop. It eventually worked when he ran into the school for an adult.
--------------------
Children are so vulnerable... and I pray that every one of them rises above the madness of this world to realize that they are better than any one of those bullies... and yep, Debbie was better than me!
Why did I do it... to belong?!!! Well what an awful thing to belong to....