[lily.]

I was bullied through in the latter years of primary school. My parents talked to the school, but little or nothing was done about it at that time. I was allowed to leave 5 minutes before the bell rang, so I could get home before the bullies got out of school. But that was a long time ago. I'm now 33, and I know schools have changed a lot since then.

When I reached secondary school it continued. Sometimes it was physical, sometimes just mental/emotional (the snidey stares, catty remarks, sniggering etc.). I never bothered telling the teachers or anything, cuz I figured nothing would be done.

Finally, I turned. I was about 13 or 14 and I just turned around and smacked this girl, who wasn't even one of the original bullies!!! She had been trash-talking about me, and I just launched at her and punched her square on the face. She was shocked. I was shaking on the inside cuz I had never hit anyone up til then. But I stood firm and pretended to be tough. That seemed to earn me some respect, and the bullying stopped.

I think it's bad that I had to basically be a thug to stop them. Up til then, I was a quiet child (I know that's hard for you to believe! ). The bullying actually made me a stronger person. Although I still can't punch my way out of a paper bag, I talk a good fight, never back down, and don't let anyone walk over me now. It helped me when I left school and started work because my manager tried to bully me, and I didn't tolerate it. I wonder if maybe I would have put up with more if I hadn't had the experiences at school.

I'm not saying I'm glad I was bullied, but I survived, and with no long-term damage. Unfortunately others were bullied worse than I was, and still bear the emotional scars.

Nowadays, I wont stand by and watch someone being victimised. It's probably not always the most sensible thing to do, but if I see kids fighting, I break it up. I can't stand to see it. And, if my kids were being bullied, I would take it very hard indeed.