Cruel & Hard=Bullying

When I began first grade, I felt bullied…by two simple little things: I arrived at a new school with my grandma and clearly children that she were able to distinguish the difference between a grandma and a,mom; simply by appearance. Even though she was like my mom, I couldn’t quite possibly convince people my age of that because despite my love for her, I struggled with that myself. I felt abnormal, a sense of insecurity; a,lack of love and an appropriate family structure. And secondly, my last name was Foster. I was told that I was from a foster home and i truly believe some of my classmates thought I was a foreign being.

As the years went by, I struggled with my sense of belonging and lack of normalcy. Quite fequenrly, I voiced wanting to change my last name to stop feeling ridiculed and maybe help me with feeling content, valued and most importantly, part of a family. The older i got, i accepted my life and my own insecurities and with every part of my being, I did feel blessed. All i ever yearned for was family and feeling accepted for my unique situation. I knew that even though my situation was not normal, nothing was ever normal..even if it was portayed that way on the outside. And with time, you learn also that even with the appearance of a mother and father; every person has a story and no family is perfect despite what appears on the outside.

As I became a mother myself, I’m grateful that sometimes despite my feelings and desires; I did not fall prey to bullying. So many children and adults have made poor lifelong decisions that ruin their lives because they too, felt bullied and could not overcome.

Now that I’ve shared my experience, I would like to see how you have overcame childhood or adult bullying. Sharing these stories can only help others.