Posted on 04/09/2010 5:52:25 PM PDT by Ptarmigan
My heart aches for the parents of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old Massachusetts high school student who committed suicide in January after being relentlessly bullied at school and online.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I'm gonna go off again.
My brother hung himself after a life of bullying. He had juvenile Cushing's Syndrome. He went through puberty at 10. Full beard and body hair. Short. Fat with a camel's hump on his back. Moon face. And the jerks of the world never missed a chance to torture him. He was defenseless. Damn them all.
I don't have a problem with transferring her to a different school but if what you say is true about her other school in Ireland, there's no guarantee that "trouble" won't continue to follow her. I think that it is terrible that she died, but I think you bring up some good points and it would probably be good to hear more about this girl's story.
I’ve already mentioned my bullying case in the thread but I was finally able to “deal” with one of the perps without even throwing a punch. lol This crap had been going on for months and I don’t know if someone had pissed in my Wheaties that day or what but I went batsh*t crazy on the girl. She said something really nasty to me during class and shortly afterwards, I got permission to go to to the restroom. I needed to gather my thoughts, if you will. I no sooner closed the bathroom door with that girl came busting in continue picking at me. I can’t remember exactly what I said but my 5’2” 120lb frame literally exploded with rage and I was screaming at the top of my lungs at her. I’m sure I looked demon-possessed and ready to kill her at the time. lol I turned around and threw open the bathroom door so hard that it slammed against the wall and walked back to class. I don’t know what she did after that but it took her a few minutes before she came back to class. She never spoke to me again until a couple months later when she broke up with the loser and apologized to me. The loser exboyfriend continued to harass me but he didn’t have her to manipulate anymore.
That policy is still in place and I've already told my kids that if they can't walk away and someone starts a fight, they have my permission and support to defend themselves regardless of what the school says will happen.
I’m sorry for the pain inflicted on you and your brother.
Wow, they arm junior high school girls in Israel! Who knew?
Far too many people on these threads assume that their kid can whip the bully any time they choose to. It seems your child was one of those. Unfortunately the opposite is more often the truth.
I stated on another thread, that if this poor girl hadn’t killed herself this wouldn’t be a story. Bits have been coming out, and I have been wary at judging the other teens before the whole story is told. We do know that Phoebe wasn’t actually unpopular, but she was a freshman having sex with various boys. And yes, she incurred the wrath of some older girls. Beyond one soda can throwing incident, we don’t know how far the “harassment” went beyond the girls calling her a slut online and to her face. I think everyone should keep in mind, that most kids who aren’t already troubled, do not commit suicide because of high school drama.
Only had one in High School, got sucker punched from behind, instinct took over, my books went sailing and when I faced her, she decided to quickly walk away....My reaction was unexpected I guess she just thought I was a runner, if I ran my mother wouldn't have given me he!! when I got home.. The viciousness of todays kids are because they know the school cannot stop them and their parents won't...
She is my kind of lady.......:O) good parenting..
Why thank you G.G.! She is my kind of lady as well... love her to pieces!
Bullies will happen as long as kids are herded into socialist schools by the gummit.
Private schools and, even more, home schools are much more bully free.
I am so sorry for your brother...your pain is still with you and its hard to deal with when someone takes their own life & hard for the one’s left behind...
When, as a boy, I had to suffer idiots who would clamber over the top of the bathroom stalls when I was in there doing my business, my mom suggested I put ammonia in a squirt gun and shoot them in the face. I declined that (maybe that was fortunate as I learned much later that ammonia could do permanent eye damage), BUT it seems to me a mixture of vinegar and Tabasco sauce would also be effective and do no permanent harm. An empty travel-size shampoo or dish detergent bottle having a small dispenser hole would work almost as well.
You are exactly right regarding the school and the parents. It kills me to say this but nothing in this day and age makes anyone move faster, especially a school, than when you show up with a lawyer!
Wow, I admire your mother-in-law for teaching your husband to go “old country” on those bullies.
Religious girls, too! They carry pistols most of the time.
Especially if you knew her. She was the tiniest, daintiest, holiest, sweetest lady you could imagine. But, that is what she told him — just bleed all over them, and they’ll leave you alone. That’s what we did in Sicily! LOL.
Of course, his friendship/mentor relationship with the beer truck driver didn’t hurt either. That’s one instance of being good in math saved his bacon!
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