Was anyone bullied growing up?

This was just something i was thinking about today, as i did a final bit of training for a race this weekend, since i was never athletic growing up and was quite weak and shy. I still have memories about things that happened to me, that i have never really made my peace with. The people who punched me, kneed me in the groin, teased me etc.

Has anyone else got any experiences they want to share, or met their bully years later?

Comments

  • Not bullied by any of the kids at school but some of the teachers were a piece of work, especially the PE ones.

  • Yes I had a problem with two older lads when I was about 13/14 until I hit back, they crossed the street every time they saw me afterwards, which turned out good and bad, Ironically I was eventually suspended for "bullying" two older lads, the good, it never happened again, nor has it since.
  • They tried. I wasn't having any of it. Still got prank calls etc which wasn't nice growing up but never showed that I was weak to those idiots.

  • i was bullied and I was a bully.

  • My sister, friend and I were bullied by a gang of girls in our village because we went to a different school.

    Being a gobby cow I verbally gave back as much as they dished out. My friend however, was painfully shy and ended up hospitalised after the gang leader had her on the ground kicking her in the head.

    25 years later, as a union Branch Secretary, I went into a college for adults with learning disabilities to represent a member. The HR Officer was none other than the gang leader. Her face was a picture. I whooped her ass image.

  • Not true, confronting bullies lets people know you are not a target, if it frightens them that can't be helped, it will prevent further bullying issues but does not mean you have in turn become a bully. So I'd suggest you take another look or I'll smash your face in and steal your dinner money
  • Yes was also bullied at school although won't mention more here as suspect it might become the subject of a joke. Running can seem like a brain dump at times, with memories re-emerging seemingly randomly. A runner I used to know seemed to use her experience being bullied as something to 'push against' in life (and running), in a kind-of 'I'll show you!' sort-of way. I find that quite negative really. Why give someone space in your head rent-free?! image 

  • Yes i was bullied by an older lad,made me play truant so missed out on a lot of schooling, was picked for the cross country district team won a few races but that also went to the wayside. and for many years i wished i could of gone back for just one day "AND PICK MY SHOT" but older still i got to thinking, would one day be enough to say sorry to people i have wronged. Forgive and hope your fogiven......

  • Snap!Snap! ✭✭✭
    I was bullied pretty badly by an older lad and his friends, his name was Stuart. He was 4 years older than me and this was when I was about 8. I was targeted every morning and afternoon and it made my life miserable, to the point where I started misbehaving just to get myself thrown out of school. I'd never have told anyone, too frightened. I was eventually thrown out, for stealing, which I've never done since.



    My parents sent me to a private day school but I would still occasionally get kicked about as I was still living in the same village.



    Then age 13 I started at boarding school and it all stopped. Well, there was institutional bullying but at least there were rules of some sort, though it could get very nasty.



    Years later I popped into our local video shop. The young man behind the counter was the bully. Grown up but painfully, painfully thin and quietly spoken. I don't know if he recognised me but I knew instinctively that something wasn't right and I just felt sorry for him. I found out that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was still young, only 20.



    Some bad children turn into worse adults. Some don't. There were others, all of the names I remember and many of the incidents. I just hope they've become better adults.
  • I'm still coming to terms wth my tormenter, although ironically I didn't feel bullied much at the time as I thought it was normal, but the scars are still healing and open up again every so often

  • I think it's lovely that they get all friendly a few years down the road when they meet you in a pub. 

    Especially when you and your mates have grown, whilst they've remained 5ft 8in and their bad behaviour was clearly masking intellectual inability.

  • I was horribly bullied...for the heinous crime of being clever, a bookworm and worst of all...ginger!

    It was an advantage that I was a fast runner as I could get away from (what I called) *the bad girls* - when they did catch me it was threatening, violence and dire threats...they made my junior life a misery.  Until I told my big sister and she went out and panned the oldest.  They were 3 or more sisters who lived in the next street to us.

    Years later I did come across them...two of the sisters both had four or five children all from different daddies, the third sister was in an extremely abusive relationship (her husband eventually did time for beating on her)....and I found out that through all that bullying time their dad had been abusing them.  I have sympathy now...and living happily and well is the only revenge I have or want.

  • Snap!Snap! ✭✭✭

    I think that would be a pretty common result, if we could all see into the homelives of bullies. 

    Ghostrider - you ever thought of looking yours up?

    I came across another bully - he did some pretty nasty stuff to me and my freinds, also stole my bike once, smashed it up and then dumped it on my driveway. His name was Ian Bannister and i didn;t go looking for him, but it turned out he'd moved abroad, to Australia, and was now running abar on a beach and happily married.

    Something about the fact that he'd 'turned out ok' lessened any bitterness I may have had towards him.

  • One of the bigger, more violent, bullies on my estate whilst I was growing up died in a car crash a few years ago when his car drove into a motorway bridge.

    Not a tear shed, nor a thought given by those that I have spoke to about him since.  In fact, some thought it quite apt 

     

  • I knew someone when I was younger, he was too young to be a problem to me but was known for a lot of other anti social stuff, he died in a motorbike crash (stolen) and it was the same, sad to say but people were almost glad or relieved
  • One particularly unpleasant girl from my school keeps trying to add me as a friend on Facebook.



    If her life has continued in the same vein (she was very thick, overweight and not a looker, but had a strong punch) it is very likely that my life is a gazillion times better than hers.
  • I've had the same recently, chloella.  In the end I befriended her on the principle that I use FB for organising my swimming and she will soon get bored and leave me alone.  Prior to that she had been pestering mutual friends for my phone number, address and email.  I decided that it wasn't fair on my friends to have to keep fobbing her off and this way she can feel in contact withotu knowing any of my personal details

  • Snap! wrote (see)

    I think that would be a pretty common result, if we could all see into the homelives of bullies. 

    Ghostrider - you ever thought of looking yours up?

    I came across another bully - he did some pretty nasty stuff to me and my freinds, also stole my bike once, smashed it up and then dumped it on my driveway. His name was Ian Bannister and i didn;t go looking for him, but it turned out he'd moved abroad, to Australia, and was now running abar on a beach and happily married.

    Something about the fact that he'd 'turned out ok' lessened any bitterness I may have had towards him.

    I have been on friends reunited, posted my name, but dont recognise ant familiar names. You do wonder what happened to these people. The one thing that has always stayed with me is that to this day, if someone accidentally touches me, a colleague pats me on the shoulder or whatever, i still jump / flinch. Its a protective mechanism.

  • Yep, bullied at school and No, it is not the best time of your life.  Had teachers who were usless at dealing with it so i was glad to leave.  Thankfully never saw anyone once i left so that made it easier.

    Still wary of new folk and try never to share too much.  My survival mechanism i guess. 

     

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