Sharing #mybullyingstory – What story do you want to tell?
I want to tell you about #mybullyingstory, which I have referenced before but not in detail.
It is not something I am ashamed of because bullying has nothing to do with the victim, nor does it follow any lines you can associate with society. Any kid can fall victim. Bullying is without specific merit and can be random.
I want to share my story because I believe part of the way to fight the ramifications of bullying is for adults who have been through it to share their stories.
We must show bullied children that not only does it get better, it can get great and that many successful and well-known people have been through it.
I’m not mad at the people who bullied me. They were kids, too, and have all grown up to be outstanding humans.
When I was a junior in high school my family moved to Baton Rouge from
More viewpoint
New Orleans. I didn’t really know anyone and starting a new school is hard, especially at that specific grade.
A group of students invited me to meet them for an LSU football game and to rendezvous an hour before kickoff at a very specific landmark next to the stadium (the airplane if you know the campus).
I was so relieved and I stressed out about what to wear and negotiated with my parents to let me take the car on my own to the game, I wanted to be sure to be as “cool” as possible.
I showed up an hour and a half early so I wouldn’t miss them. I was so excited to be able to fit in as the new kid. I sat there for four hours before I accepted the fact that I was the butt of the joke and that my only crime was being new.
I sat in my dad’s car and cried for 30 minutes and then went home and told my parents what a good time we had so they wouldn’t worry. It was that day that I decided that I would not go to LSU, the school I had cheered for my whole life.
After that, I also never went into the cafeteria at my high school once. I don’t even know if they sold food.
Things got better and I had a great senior year, but I still never ate lunch, and to be honest I don’t know why that’s where I drew the line but I did.
I went to Ole Miss and it was a pivotal moment in shaping not just what I do but who I am. I don’t say this for sympathy. I want kids to know that bullying has nothing to do with the victim. Bullies honestly do not understand what they are doing. People you probably wouldn’t expect have gone through it, too.
I want to challenge anyone who has a voice and is comfortable with it to share their #mybullyingstory to let kids know it’s OK and it gets so much better.
We may not be able to end bullying, but we can let kids know they have role models who can directly identify with what they are going through.
And that there are people who will stand and walk with them against bullying of any type.
For more commentary, go to commercialappeal.com/opinion/
Kelly English is owner of Restaurant Iris and The Second Line.