Bullying: Does It Ever End?

Yesterday I was reading a blog, where a mom talked about her children being left out at school. The Boy feels hurt because the other boys in his class leave him out. The Girl came home sobbing because all the other girls were invited to a birthday party, and she was not.

I almost cried as I sat at my desk reading the comments. One commenter, who didn't even have the balls courtesy to use her name, said this load of crap:

"Be comforted by the thought that parents really don't know the facts and what your kids relay is what they are feeling in the moment and not as a result of research and soul-searching pondering."

This reminds me of long car rides with my Grandma... her telling me "if you just ignore the meaner kids, they will go away!" As if it was MY fault, that kids tormented me?

Every day, I got onto a bus for a one hour ride to school with children who hated me. I got to school, and went to a class with kids who hated me. No one wanted to sit with me, work with me, or even be remotely near me. I was not invited to my first birthday party until I was about 11. I was made fun of in classes (whenever the teacher turned her back), at recess, at lunch (assigned seating... bleck)... and worst of all... the bus ride home.

3:20-4:20 - The bus ride home. One hour of HELL. The kids made it their personal project to make my friend Bridgette and i cry each and every bus ride home. what did they say? I was ugly, stupid, crazy, wierd, gay, gay with Bridgette, dirty, smelly (okay, in their defense, those last two were true... personal hygene was NOT my parent's strong point at the time.),... and so on and so forth. The kids would literally torment us until we cracked, either into tears (me) or anger (Bridgette). And what did the bus driver do? Yell at us for crying and making a scene.

When I was in kindergarten, I came home in tears after being made fun of on the bus. I told my dad, looking for comfort... instead he called me a "baby @$$" and laughed at me. And just to help "toughen me up", he made sure to make fun of me at home whenever possible too.

HOW WAS THIS MY FAULT?! I was made fun of at EVERY corner of my life. I was made fun of at home, at school, at church, at clubs... by adults, teens, and especially by kids.. about my apperance, my intelligence, my sexuality (before I even knew what sex was lol... at about age 5, they asked me "Are you gay?" repeatedly. I was FIVE! I didn't even know what the word meant! And when I asked my mom, she told me it meant "happy"!! *sigh*), my personality, my sanity... pretty much everything.

My point? I really don't have one. But if a child tells you others are making fun of them, or beg not to be sent to school or on a bus... Listen. It'll save you a ton on therapy bills for them later in life.