Classmate’s bullying is unacceptable

Dear Readers: Every year I step away from my column to work on other projects. I hope you enjoy these (edited) “Best Of ” Q&As from 10 years ago. Today’s topic is: adolescence.

Dear Amy: I am in seventh grade. I am Jewish. I have a friend in the same grade. His locker is next to mine. We have fun and he makes me laugh, but he makes fun of me a lot.

He says that I’m fat, but most of the time he makes fun of me because I’m Jewish.

For example, today we were goofing around, and a friend of his said, “What’s going on?” and he said, “She was being Jewish.” This really hurt my feelings.

Sometimes when I tell him to stop making fun of me, he says stuff like, “But you make fun of me, too.” I don’t make fun of him like that.

I told him I didn’t like it when he made fun of me for being Jewish, and he stopped for about a day. My mom knows that he has done this.

I would feel safe telling a teacher, but I don’t want to lose him as a friend. We have almost all of our classes together. It might make things worse. But sometimes I want to cry. — A Seventh-grader

Dear Seventh-grader: There is a difference between having fun and “making fun of.” It’s never OK to criticize someone’s body, race, ethnicity, or religion. That’s not teasing, that’s bullying. If you’re afraid to tell an adult because you think it might make things worse, then that’s a sign that this kid is a bully-in-training.

You can say, “What you’re doing is mean, and I want you to stop. It’s NOT funny.”

Give him another chance to change, and then you really should go to a teacher. He needs to know that this is offensive. You could help to protect yourself by standing up to him.

Submit letters to askamy@ amydickinson.com or to “Ask Amy” P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068.