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Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones
And Words Can Hurt, Too
By Donna Smith
Most of the time the victims are too embarrassed and humiliated to tell their parents. They dread going to school. Victims often feel lonely, depressed, scared, isolated and trapped. Once at school, it's hard to get away from a bully in the cafeteria, playground or classroom. Kids being bullied usually suffer alone in silence. The emotional scars of being bullied can last a lifetime.
"I remember wanting to die when my mom would answer the phone and hear her daughter called names through the receiver," says Heather. "The humiliation of explaining to my parents why my jeans were covered with chalk marks, or why I had gum stuck to the back of my jeans was awful. I used to sit in the bathroom before school and pretend I was about to throw up. I prayed my mom would let me stay home from school. Every once in a while I got lucky."
Many feel that bullying is just a natural part of growing up. It makes kids tough, right? Wrong. Bullying should not be considered a natural part of childhood. The pressure on the victims can affect hem the rest of their lives. "Both of our sons were victims in school and have suffered tremendously with low self-esteem," says Dawn from Illinois. "Our oldest son has many difficulties unrelated to being bullied – but has a great deal of unexpressed frustration and a quick temper," she says, adding that she thinks these characteristics are related to being bullied.