Question : I get called “piggy” and “chubster” by my classmates. I used to laugh along but now I am starting to get angry and sad. I don’t want to meet my friends after school in case they tease me again. I don’t want to tell my parents because they’ll get worried or discuss it with my friends’ parents. Teentalker , 14-year-old
Dear Teentalker,
Sometimes friends don’t even realize that what they are saying or doing counts as bullying, and that probably makes you feel a little alone. Nobody deserves to be picked on, and there are a couple of routes you could take in response.
In Brief:
- Remember you’re more than a number and ignore those bullies
- Confidently tell the bullies to back off with the comments
- Share your situation and feelings with someone you trust – two heads are better than one!
Read on to understand how to do the above.
One – ignore the comments. Not only would ignoring them hopefully make them run out of steam, but it also gives you a tool to cope with difficult situations down the line. Of course, this takes cultivating patience and repeating the affirmation “I am good enough as I am” to yourself to help build that confidence. Do you think you could do this?
The second route you could take is to stand up for yourself. Are there one or two friends in your class who might understand if you talk to them? If they knew how you felt, they might stop teasing you, which may have a ripple effect on the others. Simply starting the process of change by confiding in another person will build confidence in yourself. So dig deep within and find that spark of conviction – and if you can’t seem to find it at that moment, fake it!
Third- It might just be easier to lean on to some support. Just like you reached out to us, maybe you can find a cousin or a teacher to share your burden with, and work together on building ways to cope.
Hope this helps, if you have any other query do connect online for chat between 11am-8pm or drop us an offline message.
Regards,
Expert Teentalk India