Dave,
I've seen that way too many times in my house. My sisters are cutters. Both are bipolar and are on medication. This is a rough life they live.
Being 14 is tough time in ones life as it was with all the emotional as well as hormonal changes we go through then. When the person has emotional and psychological issues at the same time, it makes matters worse. This kid obviously has issues. I could tell by his face. He was not happy even though he was trying to tell everyone he was. It's sad when things come down to this. What's worse is his family really didn't see what was happening. They usually never do until it's too late.
Anyway, being picked on is rough, but as you get older, the people that used to pick on you go away, or come back in a different form. I ran into a few of them later on while working. They were quite pleasant to me, as though nothing happened in junior high or high school. There were also a few that were probably the worst to me, and weren't so nice even later on. The funny thing is I ran into one of them one day while out for lunch with some coworkers. Mr. Smartypants made it through life no further than a short-order cook in a local lunch counter. So much for Mr. Tough Guy! He was so busy picking on everyone else, that he dropped out of high school.
Another guy ended up working under me. I was his supervisor, so he had to deal with me every day. Eventually he quit because I used to bust his chops on everything he did. If he was a 1/10 of a second late from lunch, I docked him. If he called in sick, usually on a Monday, I let it go the first few times, then required a doctor's note. He was sick alright - from drinking the weekend. When raise time came, I gave him the barest amount I could get away with. Hehe. It was quite fun getting even with this a-h.
So keep this in mind. What goes around, comes around. It's simple as that, and life is too short to get caught up in this kind of mess. I say this now at 50, but no one could tell me otherwise when I was in my teens!
Keep your chin up and ignore them.
John
Last edited: