I saw this post...um, somewhere. My brain hasn't been holding on to much information lately, as far as remembering things is concerned. This disturbs me, but that will probably be the subject of another blog. If I remember to write it, of course. (Oh, wait, now I remember! I get email notifications from the web service UpWorthy, then I watched it on YouTube.) Anyway, I had several flashbacks when I saw this story. I had to go through bullying in elementary school, but it was primarily about the color of my skin. A few kids teased me about my weight, which was 135 pounds by the time I was 9 years old. I was also five feet, four inches tall, considerably taller than most of my classmates at the time. Actually, I was harassed more for the color of my skin than my weight, which is something I discussed on my other blog, "Yeah...and so, anyway...", which was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the March On Washington. Basically, I didn't have to go through the same type of abuse that this dear child has to endure because I was very, very good with my fists. It's a shame she has to go through all that.
But it's wonderful how passionate her adorable twin brother is about protecting her. I was very touched by this story. But I wish she didn't have to deal with that horrific bullying issue. I understand how deeply words can hurt when you are only a child. It's so ugly, and depressing how cruel other children can be. There's no reason or excuse for that unacceptable behavior, either. Don't get me started. I've had to fight my way out of several bullying episodes, and after all these years, I can definitely tell you that it isn't the pain from punches that I remember so vividly. It's the words. Forget "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me". That's not how I experienced bullying, and apparently, this little girl doesn't either. I can't remember any of the punches that the bullies managed to land, but I can tell you every single derogatory term that they called me. It's not that it has an emotional charge on it anymore because all that happened in the 60s and 70s, and I look back at all that as experiences that have made me emboldened and strengthened me as far as going out into the world and dealing with people and situations. What disturbs me is how nasty the bullies have become these days. It's deplorable. How do these children learn to be so vicious? Is it television, the music or the video games like some people like to claim? Or is it something else? I hate to say this, but even in the post Brown vs. The Board of Education era that I grew up in, I didn't have to put up with the daily torment the young people have to contend with these days. And my siblings and I were often the only black kids in the school.
The planet healer in me wants to reach out to her and her mother, and share with them about what I've been through so they know that other people have faced bullying, and conquered it. I'm not proud that I had to fight my way out of those situations because the bullies thought physical confrontations would frighten me into be as submissive as a toy poodle trained to do somersaults on command. But it worked. They learned that I was not the one to play with, and that it was very prudent to leave me the hell alone. That discovery on their part, and the subsequent reputation I gained as hard hitter followed me all the way from elementary school to graduation from high school. Unfortunately, I don't think that's a viable solution for this young lady and her family. These are very different days, and I think she would find herself in a lot more trouble if she ever turned physical on her tormentors.
I wish I could sit down and have a private conversation with her mother. I know what she's going through with being a single parent, trying to deal with raising her children, work, and the on-going pain of being obese. I don't know if the mother is a food addict, but if she is, it could be that her daughter has also picked up the tool of numbing the pain of daily life with food. In my experience, very little good comes from being obese and using food as a drug to get through life. It's a pretty miserable way of living. But since I have no idea how to get in touch with them, I'll take the next right action--pray for her and her children to be free of that abusive behavior, and that the bullies learn a very memorable lesson about the very negative consequences of their behavior.
There's a positive side to this story, however--the young lady (whose name I can't remember) had how much her mother and twin brother love her, and she was serenaded by the boy band "Big Time Rush". I've seen them on Nickelodeon a few times over the past three years while I was waiting for a cartoon to come on. (Yes, I love cartoons and comic books--I'm a SERIOUS tomboy/geek girl!) The band sang a beautiful a cappella song (They can SANG!) appreciatively well during the Good Morning America broadcast for their very excited fan. I'm sure she will remember that for the rest of her life!
