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Music Monday: Bully

This week's Music Monday is "Bully" by Shinedown.

This song lashes out against bullying. It has more than one special meaning for me. I've been bullied. I've bullied others. I've had others close to me be bullies or bullied. I have kids that I fear may be bullied or be bullies themselves.

When I was in middle school I was bullied. This kid harassed me, and others, at school. He would call me at home and harass me. He would beat up his sister while he was on the phone with me. I really never knew how to handle the situation. Finally when we got to high school he became less of a bully to me because there were less opportunities because we had less classes together and I think he was a little intimidated by the upperclassmen. I think he also realized that girls didn't like that stuff and like all teenage boys he wanted attention from girls. From what I can tell about him now he is not anywhere near the person he was back then. To him: I truly regret that I never kicked your ass, but now we're fine.

As I got older I became more confident and treated a few people badly. When you are young you kinda justify it as picking on someone so it doesn't happen to you. That only gives you the feeling that you have to do it. I had one girl that I was really mean to that truly never deserved it. She was younger and was dating a friend of mine. I was always mean to her. I called her names and made fun of her appearance. I'm pretty sure she hated me. I have always felt horrible for the way I treated her. I saw her several years later and this little girl that I was always so mean to was a beautiful young woman. I never really got a chance to apologize to her. She certainly never deserved to be treated so badly. If she still hates me, I truly understand. To her: I sincerely apologize for the way I treated you. You deserved to be treated better than that.

Around the same time I was being bullied in school my mother was married to a bully. He was physically and mentally abusive. He was a jealous person. He threatened her constantly. He terrified her in ways I really don't want to discuss. She finally got out of the relationship by hiding my sister and I at friend's houses and got help and divorced him. To him: That was no way to treat a woman and her children. If you are still alive.....I wish you weren't and I wish I was the reason. 

My son is so much like me that it is scary. Scary because I am afraid he will have these same troubles at some point in his life. He is a very sweet, sensative boy that may have trouble standing up to those that bully him, just like I did. He is also cocky at times, much like myself, and may also prey on those he deems weaker. My daughters may have to face similar boys like I was and it terrifies me. Girls can be very mean to each other also. I hope that somehow if they face these issues they are able to handle them and learn from them. To them: Please do your best to respect everyone and never let anyone disrespect you.

This song is about standing up to those bullies and fighting back. It's pretty intense if you've ever been in a bullying situation.

Enjoy.




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