I was watching a show on TV, called "If you really knew me". Which challenges people in cliques, to peel off their mask, and spill what's really under it. As it's proven that many kids do things to lift their spirits. I felt SOOO bad for these kids, I almost cried. It was horrifying to hear their stories and just all around made me depressed as a mom and a sister myself.
One girl at a high school in west virginia, has a mom is in prison, has a drug addict father, and is horribly abusive to her. Things were so bad, that her best friend and her, had made a pact on Christmas Day, to commit suicide. Right as they were about to take their own life, Dad walked in, and obviously, she's still alive to tell the story. Her Dad has told her she's crazy (as she suffers from depression and bipolar disorder) and he kicked her out, and told her she was the worst daughter there was, and only one person offered to take her in. If I was in that girls shoes, I have NO idea what I would've done. The whole story itself it just horribly sad. And the bullying started when she went to a knew school, it seemed to follow her at every school she went to.
One other girl, at the same school....Little sister got sick one day, parents took her to the hospital. As they were under the impression it was nothing major. She didn't say get well or feel better, or, that she loved her. Little sister passed away at the age of 7, the next day. Shortly after that, her mother passed away. She says her biggest regret is not saying she loved them to EITHER of them. This girl is also picked on for liking things like hunting and fishing. What the?
It continues on and on, and it's heartbreaking! I'll admit, I was bullied in 9th grade, and I didn't tell my parents. Other people told them, because their kids had either witnessed it, or I had mentioned it to one of their children. My biggest regret is not telling my parents. My locker was broken into, clothes/shoes thrown into the toilet, food thrown at me when I was walking to class. One kid even picked me up and threw me into a mental pole, and I hit the concrete planter on the way down. I had a few bruises. I didn't tell my parents about it, it was embarassing to me, not to mention I didn't want to talk about it.
Long story short, always open up a listening ear to a teenager, I wish I had confided in someone. I finally caved and told my parents of only ONE incident, and my mom was livid and made sure that whole group of boys were suspended for a week. And I know now, that these kids seem to take a more brunt of bullying as we have things like text messaging and facebook. Mine just went on at school, I can't even fathom what would it have been like if I had such things 14 years ago. We moved that next year, and needless to say, a new school (Inglemoor) was my saving grace and I didn't get bullied at ALL. In a perfect world, we'd all be happy in our own skin and wouldn't ever wear such masks, but that's not even close to what we live in. Sad day.
