My name is Marija, I'm from Croatia. Beeing bullied is common part of my life. Most of my childhood I remember my father screaming, on slaping one of us. First thing I could remember is that I'm pretending to be superman and having fun, and sudendly my father explodes on my brother slaping him and saying 'What have you done idiot' my brother trying to escape to his room and knocking the picture from the wall where my father pushed his head in, he managed to escape,... I was maybee 4 years old. Another thing happend when I was 5 some club my dad was betting on started to play, told him that it's gonna lost... when that club lost my dad came in my room shere I was playing with my dolls and slapped me saying That I can't say which club is gonna to win and which one to lose, but I was only five I seeked for his atention like I kbowed which club is better.. When I was maybe 10 my father started to beat my sister i don't know reason I think he found out she was hanging around some drug diler, I remebmer my mother screaming No, you gonna kill her. Next borning she had black eye, brouses all over her body,... My mother has stolen some money from him and his friend he hit her and she now lives with her parents. I'm not in good realashionship with her, I live wih my father I love him no matter what. Ok sometimes I'm scared of him like when I get sime bad grade or when I do something what I'm not suposed to, but I know that he only wants to me or my siblings to become better person, to be more sucesfull than he is. I know that he dosen't harm us ob purpose, he only knows that way he dosn't know how to stay calm, he only knows yelling and hitting, he was yeld at, he was hurt by his parents. My mother may not done us any phisical damage like my father did but she damaged us emotionaly which I can't forget her. I know that I have to forget her to be able to find my inner peace., but I can't. She damaged me more then anybody. I was also bullied at school, they called me fat, ugly, .... It hurt, I guess that I eat becouse of all that stress. I'm not that much fat I have 80 kg and 175cm so I think I'm normal. I havent told anybody my story yet, I just want to say it to someone to fell presure free. and I tried to commit suicide couple of times, but I only tried to drown myself and cut the air comming. I didnt tried to hsng myself, or take pills becouse I'm scared of my fathers reaction if I faile to kill myself. Sorry for gramatic errors, I learn enhlish in school. Marija

K

I have been stuck with the burden of bullying since I was little. I go to a residential school where equality and getting along are crucial. But as we all know the world isn't perfect. At my school we mostly have verbal bullying. I have been called gay, fagot, bitch and other such names. I was always told it was out of jealousy. And i know believe it is. Why? Because i am a nice person to every one gender , race sexuality you name it i am not rood. And other people don't like that. So for all you who still get bullied kill with kindness. give them a compliment make them, feel good. because the truth is you don't know there story. they could have an abusive household or get bullied themselves. And yes some are just plain out jerks. But most are hurting themselves and their only way to cope it the inflict hurt on others. "You never know what a little kindness can do" Rachel Joy Scott Columbine High School first death wrote this in her diary take it to heart.

Like many students, I was bullied when I was younger from about the 3rd to early 4th and 7th grade. I was very new to this country and the cultures of the people in my town and school, I didn't really understand much of why I was being picked on because it was something that I was use to. I would tell my teachers about the situations but of course I would called a "tattle teller" and the ways that the school system would dealt with it at the time were very vague, either separating you from the other children or having a "sit-down" but never really an serious consequences at the time. Thankfully I began to gain a sense of who I was, the resources around me to prevent things, and also for my parents that were constantly supportive.

 

IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE BEING BULLIED PLEASE REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND THERE ARE WAYS TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER. COMMUNICATION IS KEY, IF YOU DON'T SPEAK UP NO ONE WILL EVER HEAR YOUR VOICE.

Back then, I had so much self confidence in myself. But because of bullying, that self confidence went away. I used to know how to fight back, and how to defend myself. 

Just a few months ago, I was told that I should go die and kill myself. This wasn't the first time this happened to me. It's happened on the internet, and verbally from on of my team mates in my school's color guard team. Of course, this affected me very much, and it came to the point where I would shut everyone out. I wouldn't answer my text messages, and I wouldn't be social with anyone. I would stay in the library and study, instead of eating lunch with my friends, like I usually do. 

Also, I would get bullied for liking my favorite artists such as One Direction. People would make fun of the collage I made for my binder, and they would call me stupid, and that I don't know real music. No one knew that one simple song that they sang, saved me from hurting myself.

"You never loved yourself half as much as I love you. And you never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to. If i let you know I'm here for you, then maybe you'll love yourself like I love you." -Little Things by One Direction. 

That simple line changed my ways of thinking about myself. 

Because of them, I was able to see myself differently, and finally see that I'm beautiful, just the way I am.

Whenever people made fun of me because of it, I would break down inside, knowing that they saved me from treating myself wrong. 

I made it through these obstacles because I had the right friends, and a supportive family. Most importantly, I opened my heart to God, and he revealed so many good things about me that I haven't seen before. I am proud to say that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. 

When I was young and in high school I was bullied. I didn't know how to react or what to do, or who to talk to. I didn't have anyone.  So instead of doing something positive, I reacted negatively. I turned to drugs, alcohol, sex, abuse, destruction of property and physical damage to others. I turned to drugs first. I had an ounce a week habit, plus drinking and other drugs. Marijuana was the drug of choice because it was easy to get and it gave me the necessary relief of what I faced in daily life.  When I started high school I was inexperienced in life and followed along with the path my parents had chosen. I entered grade nine not knowing what to expect or what to accept.  When you are young you want to receive helpful advice from your peers, parents and councilors. It doesn't always work out that way. I wanted to go to a school that I had to bus to, but offered something I was interested in. That interest was cars. The school I wanted to go to was a tech school, not an academic school like my parents had chosen for me. In all honesty, if I had of went to the tech school like I wanted, I would probably be working in Texas for $100,000 a year. Instead, here I sit preaching to anyone that will listen, or understand what I am speaking about for nothing. I am unemployed, not really employable, wanting to start a business with little or no funds, and only half the knowledge to do so with. I guess you could say I am an alcoholic, not a drug user anymore, but which is worse, really. I end up at the bottom of the pile anyway. I am divorced with four children, two biologically. They all call me dad. I am proud of that. They are currently going to school, not necessarily passing but they are trying. This may sound like I am rambling, but it probably is. I was never diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, or anything like that, but I believe that I have some of the symptoms for Bi-polar,(might explain some of the rambling and intellect), i also have mood problems, swings, bursts, etc. Doesn't matter though we are not here to talk about me, rather we are here talk about our children. My son goes through constant taunting at school, he deals with it violently. The other day he was surrounded by five or six younger boys of another nationality and they were provoking him. I hope they got what they expected, he reacted violently after several minutes of taunting and name calling and other abuse, witnessed by yard supervisors. He along with the other kids involved were suspended from school. My son turns 14 on February 14, 2014. I am very proud of what he has achieved, and I hope he goes on to succeed in life where I have failed. He has a learning disability, he is ADHD, medicated, very athletic, I have the medals and trophies to prove it. I love him and his brothers and sister very much, they will probably never understand how much. I just wish they didn't have to put up with the same bullshit that I put up with. I thought times had changed but not really, it's just directed differently, (name-calling, physical abuse, mental abuse), the level at which i received it, and level that my children are bombarded with it is unrealistic. With cell-phones,  texting, chatting, Facebook,  Skype, and all the other SOCIAL MEDIA, along with the name-calling, and physical abuse, not-to-mention the medical problems and learning problems, it seems like they have no chance to succeed in life. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm not sure anymore. I am sure of one thing though, I don't want to see any of my children bullied or abused by others. 

I honestly don't even know if anyone is going to read this. Or even care what I have to say. But maybe someone going through the same thing will appreciate seeing that life can get better...that beautiful things do exist even in the darkest of places.

This is probably the first time I have ever posted anything about my past and the bullying I went through. It feels a little weird, but also relieving. I honestly thought that bullying problems were going to lessen as the years grew with so many laws and programs coming out; but it seems that we always find new and more hurtful ways to harm and humiliate one another. It's sickening.

My mother and father and brother are amazing people, but the neighbourhood I grew up was not so loving. It was hard to fit in right from the start. I was always the one that didn't want to choose sides or make people excluded, so I became the outcast. It's funny, I look back now and wonder how I could have been so silly, always forgiving people to just be humiliated again. From what I remember, it was mainly verbal and mental abuse to start. The names, the points at my brother with autism, the dares in order to be allowed to join the group...the bullying was there but manageable. Then the fists came; not too often, but enough. Being chased by kids on bikes and being jumped randomly,  I didn't really comprehend what I did wrong.
When you are called enough names and hit enough times, you start to think there HAS to be something wrong with you. That you are not important, not normal. Finally, we moved for the bullying got too bad for my family to handle.

Then a miracle happened; I found out what friends means. It doesn't mean going along with the dares, thinking you are useless, or pretending to be one for a minute then leaving you the next. My friends just liked me for me. For once I was asked what kind of music I liked without being mocked, what shows I liked without sounding stupid, what I wanted to do during a hot summer day rather than be told what I HAVE to do. For what seemed the first time in my first decade of life, I was important and normal to people that weren't my blood relatives. Well, I am weird sometimes, but it was now OKAY to be weird...okay to be an individual with my very own and natural personality.

Yet, it is still hard to be me. Even with great friends today and a boyfriend who tells me I am beautiful everyday, the mockery and humiliation still haunts me like it was yesterday. Even in my final years of university, I can still have nightmares from those awful moments of my life which I can never get back. And now I see bullying way worse than I ever had to go through; with the internet expanding and our population growing, people are finding new ways to torture one another. 

I want people to know that it does hurt. It sucks and it is something that sticks with the person you bully for a long, long time. You take away moments of their lives which they can never get back, can't erase, can't just turn back time and make it different. The consequences of bullying goes beyond those few seconds of verbal abuse or physical assault; it works in the development of what kind of person that individual will be one day.

However, I want people who are bullied to know that you are loved. You are cared for. You are important. I know it is so cliche but I just wished someone told me those words, whether friend or stranger, when I was struggling with bullying as a kid. Websites and organizations like this are a great start. But please, people who see a victim being bullied, find a way to help them WITHOUT getting yourself hurt too. We all can make a change. This site has shown me that.

Sincerely and best regards,

A struggling yet optimistic dreamer.

I have tried talking to the school and they say they will do something but have yet to do anything. 

I moved towns between infant and junior schools, going from a semi-rural town to a big city. I'm 1 of 9 children with divorced parents, and moving to a completely new place already had me on edge. Little did I realise that the classmates I would have already had their social circles, and there was no room for the introverted autistic kid in their group of friends. The bullying started almost immediately, starting of course with my surname. Hobson. Sounds alot like a popular brand of biscuit doesn't it? And it just rolls off the tongue as it was hurled at me every day. I had shoulder-length thick hair, and like many kids, caught nits. Seemed like a good enough reason as any to the bullies to make my life worse. my new nickname becoming "Nit Queen." My then best and only friend abandoned me because I was bullied so much, and she didn't want her popularity to go down because of me. The main bully in my life would lie to other students and get them to beat me up.

One incident had me attacked by three people I'd spoken to maybe twice, leaving me battered and bruised, and utterly terrified. I didn't understand, I didn't know why I was such a target. In secondary school I was bullied by the years above me, getting punched in the stomach, having my hair ripped out, and being threatened into drinking and smoking. I once got gobbed on by 5 people, and pushed into the mud. I'd never met these people. I felt so alone, and I couldn't speak to my family about it, because I got bullied by my siblings.

A couple of years after leaving school, I was walking home from a shop, and I heard the ever popular "HOBNOB!" bellowed at me from across the street. And I looked. What I saw was a boy from my class, or rather the man he had become, with his child beside him. And I realised that this was an adult. Not a kid, not a fellow classmate, not a friend. This was an adult hurling the same stupid abuse I'd had as a kid. And I walked on by.

It gets better. Oh god it gets so much better. I still shake and cry and feel that same loneliness I felt back then, sure. But now I know what they are. Pathetic children, with no idea just how pathetic they are. I'm at university now, after 4 years of failing college. It was an uphill struggle, and I stumbled over and over again, but I finally got here. The people that bullied me failed secondary school, and sponge benefits from the government. Maybe it's karma, maybe I'm just hopeful. All I know is that the moment I left that school, I never looked back.

Don't let them beat you down. I spent every second wishing for an easy way out, and I'd hurt myself over and over again. But trust me, it gets so much better. One day you'll walk on by, past the bully, thinking how pathetic he is. When you do, it'll be a real smile on your face. One you can be proud of.

When I started kindergarten, I was the only one in that grade. I stayed that way until I transferred in fourth grade. I was constantly bullied for my tom-boy acts and looks. In junior high, I didn't really fill out in the best places and people made fun of me for my average looks. I am now in high school and am tormented because I still kind of look like a boy and act different from the rest of the girls. I cry thinking about it because I know I will never be "good enough" for them.