"Bullying,"
By Halee Jade Rodgers
Have you or your sibling ever been bullied? Have you ever seen someone bully your sibling simply because they were “different” or acted a bit weird in public? Here are some ways to help handle those situations, during and afterwards.
Statistically, every person on this earth has or will experience a form of bullying at least once within their lifetime, whether it’s as the bully, the bystander, or the victim. Unfortunately, as a sib, we tend to experience bullying more often than others. Whether us or our siblings are being bullied because of our sibling’s disability, we witness our siblings get bullied by others, we ourselves get bullied by our sibs, or even if we bully our brother(s) or sister(s), we have experienced bullying in all of its unholy forms.
I myself have been bullied on multiple occasions, all for different reasons. I have also seen my friends get bullied and have been witness to others bullying my brother many times. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I have even bullied someone before, too. However, after seeing the repercussions of my actions, and experiencing the immense guilt that came from them, I want to help others handle themselves in these situations to avoid these unnecessary low feelings.
When I was younger, my brother and I went to the same summer camp at the YMCA. I loved it because up until that point, my brother and I were never really able to participate in any of the same activities as we went to different schools. One day, however, we were all playing at the park and my brother was just sitting off to the side with his EA, doing his own thing. My brother has a lot of little stimuli that he tends to do, like clench his fist and wave his hand in front of his face, and he does them so frequently that we hardly even notice anymore. On this day, I was standing off to the side with some of my friends when I noticed this boy mimicking my brother’s actions. I didn’t think too much of it at first, until the boy started laughing about it with his friends, and calling my brother names. I walked over to the boy (very calmly I should add), and told him that what he was doing was mean and that he should stop. Unfortunately, he didn’t really listen to me, and kind of just laughed in my face and kept mocking my brother.
It was then that I proceeded to punch the boy in the face, and then walk away towards my brother and give him a hug.
Am I happy about what happened? No, of course not. There are many better courses of action I could have taken to stop the boy from making fun of my brother. Am I proud of myself for what happened? I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t.
There are many different ways one can deal with bullying, in any of its forms. If you are being bullied, there’s really only three options. You can either stand up to the bully and defend yourself, tell an adult or someone who you feel can help you, or just ignore them. In my experience, even though it may suck sometimes and it might make you feel weak or scared, telling an adult, or even just someone you trust, is almost always the best thing to do. They will know how to handle the situation, or they’ll know who to talk to in order to make the conflict stop. At the very least, telling someone else about what’s going on gives you someone to confide in and talk to so you’re not in it alone.
Even if it’s not you who’s being bullied and it’s one of your friends or your sibling, you should always tell someone else about what’s going on. You can still help and stand up for them, and even resolve the situation on your own, but you should still tell someone. It’s rare for bullies to pick on just one person, so even though you may have helped your situation, there may be someone else out there who is going through the same thing and doesn’t have someone as awesome as you to help them.
Standing up to the bully, kind of how I did (but without the violence!), is only sometimes efficient. It depends on who the bully is, and how strong of a person you are. Standing up to someone can surprise a bully, and show them that you aren’t one to be messed with. It can also make you feel powerful and courageous, however, it can be detrimental to your confidence if it doesn’t work. There is always going to be someone who is stronger, or bolder, or more powerful, but that shouldn’t be a reason for you to get hurt or feel like you’re less. You are already an amazing and powerful person, and you should never have to feel like you aren’t.
Love,
Halee Jade
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for educational purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
By Halee Jade Rodgers
Have you or your sibling ever been bullied? Have you ever seen someone bully your sibling simply because they were “different” or acted a bit weird in public? Here are some ways to help handle those situations, during and afterwards.
Statistically, every person on this earth has or will experience a form of bullying at least once within their lifetime, whether it’s as the bully, the bystander, or the victim. Unfortunately, as a sib, we tend to experience bullying more often than others. Whether us or our siblings are being bullied because of our sibling’s disability, we witness our siblings get bullied by others, we ourselves get bullied by our sibs, or even if we bully our brother(s) or sister(s), we have experienced bullying in all of its unholy forms.
I myself have been bullied on multiple occasions, all for different reasons. I have also seen my friends get bullied and have been witness to others bullying my brother many times. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I have even bullied someone before, too. However, after seeing the repercussions of my actions, and experiencing the immense guilt that came from them, I want to help others handle themselves in these situations to avoid these unnecessary low feelings.
When I was younger, my brother and I went to the same summer camp at the YMCA. I loved it because up until that point, my brother and I were never really able to participate in any of the same activities as we went to different schools. One day, however, we were all playing at the park and my brother was just sitting off to the side with his EA, doing his own thing. My brother has a lot of little stimuli that he tends to do, like clench his fist and wave his hand in front of his face, and he does them so frequently that we hardly even notice anymore. On this day, I was standing off to the side with some of my friends when I noticed this boy mimicking my brother’s actions. I didn’t think too much of it at first, until the boy started laughing about it with his friends, and calling my brother names. I walked over to the boy (very calmly I should add), and told him that what he was doing was mean and that he should stop. Unfortunately, he didn’t really listen to me, and kind of just laughed in my face and kept mocking my brother.
It was then that I proceeded to punch the boy in the face, and then walk away towards my brother and give him a hug.
Am I happy about what happened? No, of course not. There are many better courses of action I could have taken to stop the boy from making fun of my brother. Am I proud of myself for what happened? I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t.
There are many different ways one can deal with bullying, in any of its forms. If you are being bullied, there’s really only three options. You can either stand up to the bully and defend yourself, tell an adult or someone who you feel can help you, or just ignore them. In my experience, even though it may suck sometimes and it might make you feel weak or scared, telling an adult, or even just someone you trust, is almost always the best thing to do. They will know how to handle the situation, or they’ll know who to talk to in order to make the conflict stop. At the very least, telling someone else about what’s going on gives you someone to confide in and talk to so you’re not in it alone.
Even if it’s not you who’s being bullied and it’s one of your friends or your sibling, you should always tell someone else about what’s going on. You can still help and stand up for them, and even resolve the situation on your own, but you should still tell someone. It’s rare for bullies to pick on just one person, so even though you may have helped your situation, there may be someone else out there who is going through the same thing and doesn’t have someone as awesome as you to help them.
Standing up to the bully, kind of how I did (but without the violence!), is only sometimes efficient. It depends on who the bully is, and how strong of a person you are. Standing up to someone can surprise a bully, and show them that you aren’t one to be messed with. It can also make you feel powerful and courageous, however, it can be detrimental to your confidence if it doesn’t work. There is always going to be someone who is stronger, or bolder, or more powerful, but that shouldn’t be a reason for you to get hurt or feel like you’re less. You are already an amazing and powerful person, and you should never have to feel like you aren’t.
Love,
Halee Jade
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for educational purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
