A Warrior Mom & Son, California
The mean-girl bullying I experienced in high school made me feel confused, angry, sad, and scared, and it was hard for me to trust other girls. I mostly kept the bullying to myself… My mom would tell me to “ignore” my bullies and “take the high road,” which wasn’t particularly helpful at the time. However, I realized that it was important to not let them have power over me…and I did try to ignore them/avoid them as much as possible and focus on my own friends, my extracurricular activities, my schoolwork, and my after-school jobs. I think that staying really busy helped me cope, because it kept my mind off bullies—I didn’t have time to worry about them.
When my son faced his first bully, I listened to him tell me about the situation and his feelings, and I told him this: “when that kid says things to you, look him in the face, say, ‘whatever,’ and walk away. You stay in your power, but don’t give him a reason to keep going—sadly, bullies feed off your fear to feel powerful.”
I also told him: “there are many people in this world who only feel good by bringing others down, and maybe it’s because they were treated this way at home, but it’s 100% about their insecurities. Your ability to feel good AND to be kind is such a special power in this world—it’s more powerful and strong than you realize. Bullies see it and that’s why they try to take it for themselves—but they never will. So your job is to protect it, own it, and never let anyone think they can take it from you. Because they can’t. Your job is to realize your power.
Story Shared By: @coachbeccasf
