This is the story of a little boy in being terrorized by bullies every day. It started on the bus with verbal taunts by bullies to all kids. Everyday they systematically made their way around teasing everyone. When it was my turn for ridicule, I tried to ignore them and hoped they would go away.
Eventually the bullies pushed further and more aggressive in their attacks to get a reaction. As they increased pressure, I would retreat further into a dark hole of emptiness to get away. This drove them more and more to hurt me. Eventually I caved and started to cry. Once the tears started coming I couldn't do anything to stop it. I was suffering and the pain was deep in my soul. It was a huge victory for the bullies to get a victim to cry.
Later, the attacks became more frequent and more physical. They would slap my head, flick my ears, punch & poke me. They would pull my shoes off and even throw them out the bus window. And the bullying made it's way off the bus and into school, the schoolyard and even out in public places. I couldn't get away.
No matter where I went there was a chance those boys would find me. Whether it was in the woods behind our neighborhood, the mall arcade, grocery store or sledding hill behind our church. They were everywhere. Constantly hunting and tormenting me. At least I assumed I was their mission in life. I lived in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder. Always worried they were coming for me.
As a 9 old boy, no one should have to live life believing they're being hunted. The level of PTSD I was experiencing is far too much for anyone of that age to deal with. It led to bedwetting, nightmares and a severe lack of focus in school. I was always a bad student. Nothing made sense to me and I couldn't figure out why I was failing. Teachers said I should be held back a grade, some labeled me ignorant or learning disabled and others made fun of me in front of my peers. Needless to say I hated school and life.
My book details the plight of bullying that goes on every day in schools all over the country. You'll hear details about how I was systematically broken down to the darkest lows where a soul could go. I discuss failures of the system along the way as I was being bullied. The Bus Driver that saw it all, the principal that heard from my mother about how I looked getting off the bus being beaten to finally the bully's parents denying any wrong doing of their son. Many adults knew what was going on but none did much about it.
I conclude the book with details on how to fix the epidemic. It won't be easy, we'll never wipe it out completely. But we can take a stand against bullying and have to do it together. We have to start now. The first step begins with parents. Parents need to get real selfish about the welfare of their children and demand accountability from the schools.
Schools need to put aside politics and get real about bullying. Kids are not a statistic that should affect budgeting or ratings. They're kids. Teachers and school administrators have custody of our children for about 1/3 of the day and bear responsibility to ensure their safety and their upbringing. Work with the parents and get solutions that work for all in these matters.
Lastly we need to work with children and teach them self esteem and personal accountability. For those that are bullied, we need to show them that they can protect themselves. They have that right and they should always fight against aggression. For those that bully others, we need to pull them aside with parents and school administrators and figure out why they are conducting themselves in that manner. It may be for a multitude of reasons. But we have to dig deep and know that we can help even those that torment others.
Our mission in life should be to ensure the next generations have a better opportunity for growth and success. Bullies come at us from all walks of life and from all age brackets.
