It’s amazing that life’s curve balls can teach so much if you are open to them. As you know, this site is about helping people of all ages to gain self confidence and learn about bullying, its causes and ways to defend against it.
Little did I ever expect that I would be bullied at the ripe old age of….maybe I’ll leave that part out! 
I am now finding myself in the position of being a target of bullying!
I don’t want to go into the gory details but do want to tell you how I handled the situation.
- I tried to give the benefit of the doubt and ignored the things they were doing in hopes that they would stop.
- I became totally immersed in the “what ifs?”
- I had enough when they pushed the envelope so far that they were hurting me physically, financially and emotionally.
- I called the authorities.
- I researched the laws, cited the damages and filed a report.
- I requested that the powers that be come and inspect the issue.
- They did and were shocked with what had been happening.
The bullies are going to be made accountable for their actions and that is a good thing. Had these bullies been targeting someone else, I would have stepped in helped in someway. Here I am, an expert on bullying but missed the mark when it came to me.
I did what so many people do when it comes to bullying, I tried to ignore it. I grew up learning that turning the other cheek was the way to live. Turning the other cheek with an adult bully doesn’t work and in fact usually makes the situation worse. Why? Because ignoring bullying can make bullies believe that they can get away with more and more.
Those of you who have young children, please tell them “no” enough so that they don’t grow into adults who believe that the world and all of the people in it owe them.
Photo: Joe Shlabotnik
