Bullying Kills.

You know what fucking sucks?

It sucks that a beautiful 15-year-old girl felt so trapped that she had to commit suicide on Wednesday.

It sucks that she felt so trapped, so alone, felt that nothing could be done to help her.

It sucks that there WERE people around her, some that may have tried to help her, but most that just stood idly by, probably thinking, "Oh teenage drama!"

I am a victim of bullying.  Maybe not to the extent of Amanda's bullying.  But I've been bullied.  Most of the time I went to school in Leoville.  I was picked on for being too skinny, then too fat, then for the music I listened to.

I remember this one time, in gym class...  We were doing something in gym, and it must have involved running/walking backwards or something.  And I was in grade 7.  And we had gym with the grade 8 class.Anyway, I was walking/running backward, and the idiotic grade 8 boys were making "beeping" sounds,  like the sounds a "wide load" truck makes.

I just thank GOD that social media wasn't quite as prevalent back then as it is now.

This one kid, and I still call him a kid, he'll always be a kid, because he's a fucking asshole, who probably never grew up, and is still a bully where he is in his life today, anyway...  He was the worst.  There was this one time, and he was best friends with one of my really good friends, who I ate lunch with every day.  This one time, he was eating lunch with her too, and I went into the classroom, and he made some comment about my lunch (a bag of noodles, an apple, and a granola bar, I believe).  I was so sick of his shit, and this comment that he made, it was the last fucking, THE LAST FUCKING STRAW.  I threw my apple and noodles at his stupid fucking head, and I went to the gym to get the vice-principal...   To tell him what's been going on, that I was tired of being bullied...  And you know what he said?  He said, "If it happens again, let me know."

I never did go to him again.

The vice-principal made me feel that...  He made me feel left behind, unimportant.  Because I wasn't a star athlete, I wasn't a top-grade student, so my feeling didn't matter.  We wouldn't want to get a star volleyball player in trouble, right?

Anyway.  My post has gotten to be a bit rant-y, hmm?

My point is this...  We as adults that are present in these children's lives, we need to stop pretending that their feelings don't matter.  IT DOES MATTER!!  Every little thing that your child or teenager comes home to tell you, they tell you for a reason.  Because it's important to them.  And because THEY are important to YOU, their problems should be important to you, too, even if it's something as small as, "Johnny stole my best friend".  It's a real problem for kids.  My son is going through it right now.

PLEASE.  Listen!!!  CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!  Where the hell is the future going to be, if all these teenagers commit suicide because they feel they don't matter?

I'm not parent of the year, by far.  I know that.  I tend to be a downright shitty parent at times, as we all do.  But one thing I refuse to do, is watch my son get hurt.  Because I was bullied, and the people who "loved" me, did nothing about it.

It's time to break the cycle people.  Amanda's death is tragic, yes; but don't let it be in vain.

Don't let Amanda die in vain.