When I speak to children about how bullying triggered obsessive compulsive disorder for me, impacting my life significantly, most of them do understand the possible terrifying impact of bullying, and many change their behaviors appropriately. I have received messages from them.
I believe that they understand very clearly that:
- If you treat someone poorly, the impact on that person can be very serious
- It’s okay to be different
- If someone is bullied in school, that person can suffer for many years even after school years are over
I have also noticed that:
- Students are able to connect with me easily because I have gone through this myself – I am not a parent or an anti-bullying expert – I speak from my heart about this issue
- Students who are being bullied see a strong example of how one can survive in spite of having to go through this difficult phase
- Everyone loves my discussion of the encounter I had in my adult years with a past bully because it provides a perspective on why bullies do what they do
- Students who do the bullying connect with me since they see that I can understand what they might be going through, because of the discussion on my encounter with a past bully. Many of these bullies do not realize how badly their actions can impact the victims. Once they understand the possible impact, most of them are able to stop their negative behavior.