I received a letter in my message box on Facebook shortly after I announced The Mean Girl Extinction Project – an anti-bully campaign Jordan and I started.
As I read the letter, my stomach began to churn. I had no idea this friend from high school had such a terrible experience. We messaged back and fourth a few times, discussing the bullying she encountered more in depth. Her story I realized is not uncommon. I asked if I could share her letter. She kindly agreed, hoping it would help other’s avoid a similar experience. This is her story…
“In school I was bullied, made fun of etc and it was the cause of my low self esteem. Of course I doubt that they ever knew just what they were doing to me and how badly it was really hurting me. In middle school I was even threatened, I was new at CVMS had no friends and would have to hide from this girl and her friends. I only wanted to liked and accepted by others. People would judge me by my weight and never even try to get to know me. In turn that would add to my weight problem. It took years for me to get over it (sometimes it tries to creep back). I hid a lot from people back in high school. My closest friends knew how bad it really was for me though and would do their best to help me. It took my wonderful husband to finally get me to like myself and get over what everyone else thought of me.”
Her story thankfully has a happy ending. But she still battles the emotional scars.
Unfortunately not every girl who is bullied has a story that ends well. Suicide among teens who are bullied has more than tripled over the last few years and the majority of them… are girls.
We have to be ever so mindful of the things we say and do. Whether positive or negative, our words and actions will make a difference.
What kind of impact are you making?
We can learn from the stories of others. Want to share yours? We would love to hear from you.
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