I’d be lying if I said I knew EXACTLY where to begin with this one. When I typically get into a follow up I delve deeper into the topic. I go into greater detail, and honestly rant and bitch about how things happened. I think the details have been covered thoroughly on this one. I’ve come to get to know Catherine in the last few months. It all started with her son being a BIG fan of the Hot 7 @7. I’m not sure I knew the first time I had him as a 10 second co-host that I was getting to know some great people because of that. Catherine approached me with this piece back in the summer when I was DESPERATELY searching for material for the blog, which by the way, I’ll be going back to. Again, I wasn’t aware of what I was getting into. This was a piece I found myself FASCINATED with, relating to, and learning from. Considering the chats I’ve had with Catherine, I think I was shocked at how MUCH she’d actually gone through. So I guess since I can’t go into further detail really, it’s been covered, I think I’ll start by what I took away from it.
I can’t count how many times I’ve said, I wasn’t really bullied. I DO remember when I was 6 and I had about 4 boys in my grade pushing me into a wall and not letting me go home from school one day. I got home after that and as soon as I got in the door, I started crying. I remember telling my dad what happened, and he asked, why I was crying now? My response was “I wasn’t going to let them see me cry”. BEFORE school started, I was more of a “Kendra”. I was the dominant kid. ACTUALLY this was included in the toast to the bride at my wedding. A close friend of my family, actually my brother’s God Father, and a rather loyal follower of the Anti bully blog (also the parent of one of the people who have done a blog piece for me), did my toast. He said when you heard the kids in the backyard (which was usually mine, I had a BIG backyard, with a huge tree, swing set, sandbox etc) You could always hear me saying things like “Guys lets play this game”, and leading the group. When I was back in NS one time a neighbor I hadn’t seen in years came down to my dad’s place and dad mentioned something similar to that too, That I usually led the pack, even if I was the youngest one. That ALL being said, I have to retract my previous mentions that I wasn’t bullied much, because after reading this piece, I realize I was without even knowing it.
I found myself relating to some of the things Catherine was saying. I HATED Gym class, I was terrible and typically was the last picked, once or twice, I got groans, and felt rejected. I was the opposite of Catherine, I was a girl SLOW to develop, and got picked on daily for that in Grade 6, until I told my dad who told me to tell the girl doing it to me that her shoulder blades were bigger than her boobs so she was in no position to say anything to me (this actually ended it). When I hit Jr. High , I found myself feeling rejected by some of my friends, because they were becoming the popular girls, and there was one in particular who seemed to feel the need to put me down all the time. I won’t name names, however I DO have her on FB now, so I’m kind of curious if she’s reading this…It all seemed to end when I met my friend Lisa, at a volley ball tryout…that neither of us made the team for. She introduced me to her friends, all of who were just legitimately nice, and loyal people. Lisa, and another who was in this group were 2 of my Bridesmaids at my wedding. I know I was REALLY lucky to find such AMAZING friends, and even more lucky that they’re still there.
Now Catherine said she found herself finding acceptance with the rejected. I related to this on 2 levels. The first being I was typically friends with the people who got bullied. I think part of me did it because they were the people who needed friends, but then perhaps I did too, so I related to these people and found friendship. A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed, it’s true. The OTHER way I found acceptance with the rejected, was rather similar to Catherine’s. I became “alternative” (high school is SO a place of labels isn’t it?). I chopped my hair off, over indulged in eyeliner, sported a leather chocker and black spiked cuffs, and developed a taste for Ozzy, ACDC and Iron Maiden. AND JUST like Catherine, I found acceptance there too. I heard a rumor I was called “The Dyke” but I heard that AFTER High School AND I was in The Gay Straight Alliance, so really? Best you got?
Now a little less about me (finally) I found myself relating some things to prior pieces that have been on here. For example, when she said some times a joke is just a joke, and she’s felt herself second guessing, or feeling temporary helplessness. The person who I found myself thinking of chose to be anonymous with their piece so I can’t be specific, but it was one that I did on the first set back in the spring and said I think he was the most picked on kid when we were growing up. He said sometimes people make sarcastic jokes, picking at him and sometimes he’s over sensitive to it.
SO I think what I took away from Catherine’s Paper, is a DEEPER look at myself, and at what some people have gone through. If you’re a kid going through what Catherine went through and found yourself relating to any parts of this, know this, you’re not alone! And know this too, Catherine is a strong woman today. If you read her piece it says one day she thinks she’ll be a great mom. From where I’m standing, she got there, with her son and daughter. Just the other day she posted an invitation her son made for her daughter to play. One of the cutest things EVER for real. I think I’ll end this follow up with an ENOURMOUS thank you to Catherine, and a quote from my dad. Only part way through this series he had one word for this paper, and that was WOW.
No comments:
Post a Comment