An Open Letter to Bullies

As we move forward in the school year, the issue of bullying has been on the minds of kids, teens, parents, and teachers. We wrote this letter for anybody struggling with bullying of any form. Thank you for reading and, as always, be well!

Dear Bully:

Today, you won. You won because you made yourself feel good at my expense. You stole a moment of my happiness and used it to feed your own self-worth. Like two trees competing for sunlight, you moved into my space and took my light. You felt better for a moment and I felt bad for a moment.

They say words can’t hurt us. Maybe you bullied me with words, maybe you used physical aggression, maybe you used manipulation to make me feel isolated, or maybe you attacked me with technology. You have countless tools to hurt me and make me feel small. Today, it worked.

What you don’t realize is that tomorrow, it won’t work. Tomorrow, you won’t win. I’m learning and adapting daily. My support system is getting bigger and I am realizing that I am not alone. I’m learning how to ask for help and how to set boundaries. You are teaching me lessons that will be invaluable in my life.

You may have taken moments from me, but you have given me so much more. I know that I do not want to be a person who takes someone else’s sunlight. I am learning my worth is not based on what you, or anybody else, think of me. My tree is still growing strong despite losing a moment of sunlight.

I know that tomorrow you won’t win. I also know that I don’t want to win at your expense. I hope your tree gets strong enough not to need sunlight from your neighbors. I’d love to see you bloom and blossom into the exact tree you were meant to be. I know that’s my plan.

Tomorrow, we’ll both win.