BULLIED

""Don't Laugh at Me
Don’t laugh at me, don’t call me names, Don’t take your pleasure from my pain. I’m a little boy with glasses The one they call a geek, A little girl who never smiles ’Cause I have braces on my teeth And I know how it feels to cry myself to sleep I’m that kid on every playground Who’s always chosen last A single teenage mother Tryin’ to overcome my past You don’t have to be my friend But is it too much to ask: Don’t laugh at me Don’t call me names Don’t get your pleasure from my pain . . . Don’t laugh at me, I’m fat, I’m thin, I’m short, I’m tall I’m deaf, I’m blind, hey aren’t we all.…
—Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin,

TARGETS

WHY WON'T THEY TELL?

• They are ashamed of being bullied.
• They are afraid of retaliation if they tell an adult.
• They don’t think anyone can help them.
• They don’t think anyone will help them.
• They have bought into the lie lthat bullying is a necessary part of growing up.
• They may believe that adults are part of the lie, since it is not only kids who bully them.

SHAME, SECRETS, AND SORROW

• They have learned that “ratting” on a peer is bad, not cool, “juvenile”—even if that peer is bullying them.
• Suffers a drop in grades.
• Withdraws from family and school activities, wanting to be left alone.
• Does something out of character.
• Uses derogatory or demeaning language when talking about peers.
• Stops talking about peers. and everyday activities.

WHY WON'T ASK FOR HELP?

• Has dishevelled, torn, or missing clothing.
• Has physical injuries not consistent with explanation.
• Has stomachaches, headaches, and panic attacks, is unable to sleep, sleeps too much, and is exhausted
• Creates art that depicts severe emotional distress, inner I turmoil, or outright violence.
• Whenever you see warning signs, listen beyond the words and look beyond the actions to see what is really going on “under the mask of normal."

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