Recently the child suicide due to bullying hit close to
home. Locally a beautiful, seemingly intelligent young lady who attended a prestigious
private school took her own life and by all accounts it was due to peer
bullying. It personally hit a note with me because Daughter is currently
struggling with a long time ‘friend’ who at any chance is rude and downright
cruel to her. The ‘friend’ recently told Daughter some unkind words as she
looked at her newly taken school picture. (Not that I am biased or anything but
Daughter looked positively stunning in it) All the years I have spent helping
her build up a wall of self-esteem that strangers could not penetrate…..I did
not think to educate her on ‘friends’ that could turn on her. I don’t know why….the
exact thing happened to me. My bestest friend in the entire world in sixth
grade knew of a monster crush I had on a certain red-headed boy in our class.
She said that she would talk to him about being my boyfriend. To my surprise he
agreed! Although, she told me that he did not want anyone to know and I could
write love letters to him, give them to her and he would do the same. I still
remember my heart fluttering at seeing his name signed with a heart next to it…just.for.me.
Unfortunately I found out it all was a hoax. It was my ‘friend’….the one I
spent all my summers with had turned on me. Not terribly long after that the
entire neighborhood began terrorizing me. It was hurtful and I never thought I
would make it. I, luckily, never contemplated suicide. My heart aches for the
girls and boys out there that DO. If I could tell them one thing it would be “this
too shall pass”. The ‘friends’, the enemies, the things that are so large in
your life now…..will be a distant memory as you age. It took finding a good
therapist to teach me to NOT be a victim. What is done to you cannot be changed
but your reaction to the situation CAN change you….for the better. Absolutely
no regrets.
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