There were a number of times in my life that I’ve been bullied and they weren’t all at school! Work and life come with their own sets of bullies and it really is something that needs to be stopped!

I was rather a chubby kid! Not only due to my genetic makeup (my whole family struggled with weight issues) but the fact that my brothers and I were asthmatics and were on loads of meds including steroids, well that really makes it hard to lose weight. My dad used to wake my brother and I at 6.30am every morning to jog around the park behind our house! How I hated those days! I never did like exercise but I do love how it changes your body. The awesome boost to your mental health with all that serotonin is always a plus but back then I hated those days!

My mum joined Weight Watchers when I was 11 and there started my affair with weight loss – a journey that continues to this day. But I am coming to the realisation that it’s so not about weight, or size or any of those external aesthetics. Being beautiful certainly comes from within and we are all worthy – we always have been – it was the media, society that convinced us otherwise! It’s a shame it took me so long to get that but each decade my body changes and each decade I get happier with what it has achieved. But I digress…..

There are some things that bullies do to you that affect you the rest of your life and this is one! I was in Grade 6 at St Leo’s Primary School and guess what my nickname was???

No you’ll never guess but it has stayed with me until this day – Ten Tonne Tessy! Thank you to the awesome person who came up with that one! I’m at a Catholic school and I’m getting bullied! Yeah those Catholics are really taught well! Maybe they should have taught us more of the New Testament instead of the old – love one another as I have loved you comes to mind.

I especially remember the boys being so mean about it! I would love to know if any of my class mates remember? I’m sure none of them know the damage it did and how I perceived myself and probably a little, still do through their eyes then!

I remember spending many lunches on my own, hating myself and the way I looked! Desperately wanting to be the skinny cool girl instead of the fat frumpy one with half a tooth at the front! (That’s another story) but a huge reason I hated my smile.

No! Bullies have no idea the damage they do and it’s even worse in this day and age of the World Wide Web & the small gutless ones who sit behind a keyboard spewing forth hate – not even caring what it’s doing to the person at the other end of their vile hurtful comments!

They won’t understand that the saying “sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me”

ITS A BIG LIE!!!!

Because names do hurt! And they stay with you forever sometimes! Yep too bad none of my “Christian” classmates were listening at church.

My mother always said “if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all” and I’ve tried to live by that and have taught my children the same!

My kids too have been bullied and again we try to understand the reason behind why a person behaves the way they do. We know there’s something going wrong at home most of the time causing them to take out their wrath on someone innocent- an easy target!

The sad thing is if everyone knew how important and beautiful they are – if love, self esteem and inner peace were taught at school the bullying I’m sure would stop! Because most of the time bullies are belittling and hurtful to someone in order to make themselves feel better and more important.

Self love

Self esteem

Self awareness

Respect

Love for each other

Kindness

Compassion

These are the things we should be teaching our children along with the three R’s!

If we truly want to change the world then we must start with ourselves 💜