Anonymous

When I was in middle school, I was bullied at the church I attended. There were kids who enjoyed making up lies and rumors and making fun of me in front of others. The bullying continued into high school because those same kids ended up going to the same high school as me. This meant I faced bullying both at school and church, with no escape throughout the year.

My dad was very strict about church activities, so he never allowed me to miss church on Saturdays or Sundays. The bullying got so severe that I couldn’t take it anymore and told my dad while crying, but he refused to help me. He was ashamed of the possibility that people might find out his daughter was being bullied.

During the weekdays, I was ridiculed at school, and on weekends, I faced the same at church. With no support from my parents, as a teenager, the only thing I could do was repeatedly tell myself, “It’s not my fault,” to get through each day.

Now that I’m an adult, my memories of middle and high school are still filled with pain. I even remember the day when those same people from church learned about my wedding and mocked me, saying, “How can someone like you get married?”

Thinking about how they destroyed my precious teenage years and my self-esteem still makes me angry and resentful, but I have moved on and am living well. This is because I found the courage to tell my story, met people who listened, and through this process, I became more certain that it wasn’t my fault and started to realize my own worth.

The reason I’m sharing my story on this site is to provide comfort to anyone who has suffered long-term bullying and feels scarred. We have all been bullied by mean people, but it was their fault, not ours. It may have lowered our self-esteem, made us feel depressed and sad, but we should never forget that we are valuable individuals.

Being bullied is not something to be ashamed of or to hide. It’s not our fault.

I gathered the courage to share my story, and talking with others has truly been helpful for me. Of course, everyone has their own way of healing, but if, like me, you have no one to comfort or support you, I hope we can talk and find support here together.

And I want to tell you this: “Being bullied is absolutely not your fault. You did nothing to deserve such terrible treatment. You are a valuable person.”