Richie's Story

Posted: 6/9/2011

My name is Richard Meehan and I would like to share a short story about how bullying has affected our family…

I have a brother, Joshua that is 18 months younger than I am. He was picked on since he started school.  He was picked on because he was shorter then other kids, wore glasses and he could not really pronounces his R's correctly. We are 2 grades apart in school and always rode the bus together. I didn't really know how much he was being teased because it didn't ever happen around me and Josh never said anything. 

This one morning when he was in 2nd and I was in 4th grade we had just gotten off the bus and was heading into theschool, for some reason, I don't remember why Josh was close to me when we were walking, this rock came from in front of us and I was able to push Josh away from it. The rock hit me in the chest, if it would have hit my brother it would have got him right in his face.  I was winded and didn't even know what happened until after the fact.

Come to find out Joshua was being bullied on the bus and during recess since he was in kindergarten. It started with words then by the time he was in 2nd grade it had progressed to being physical. Having me stick up for him was not the best thing for him either because kids only harassed him more about having his brother fight his battles. 

My mom started driving us to school and  spoke many times to the school about having Josh not attend recess because that is where it was the worst. The school did nothing about it. My mom got a call from school once that Josh had been in a fight and had  broke his new glasses, my mom took him to the hospital and he had a concussion. We still don't know the true story of what really happened that day.

I told my brother to just start sticking up for himself and to fight back. I mean it is hard to watch your brother being picked on and not to be able to be there all the time to help,  you want them to defend themselves. RIGHT!  Well I am not sure if it was right or wrong I still think it was right you can only be picked on for so long before you will crack.  Josh did start defending himself and he was good at it,  he liked to fight and took every chance he could to do so.  He started by taking on one boy, then two, he once took on five boys at the same time.  By the time he was in 3rd grade he had turned into the bullier. He was even suspended for a day but he didn't care because he at least had people noticing him and it wasn't because he was the small kid it was because he beat up the big kid.

My mom thinks that being the bully is one of the worst things that came from this my little brother went from this cute little cuddly kid that would not even hurt an ant to being filled with hatred. Our play fights went from play to the real thing he didn't know how to play that way anymore he couldn't control himself, we had to stop that and we us to love rolling around on the floor together. 

My mother started homeschooling us she said because she wasn'thappy with the school but since she has said that she was afraid that Josh might hurt someone. 

It has been four years since we were in public school and my brother still has a really aggressive side to kids around his age and older which my mom attributes to the treatment he received in school from his tormentors.  He is great with little kids and adults, I think it is strange but I think it is because he doesn't feel threatened by them. My brother will be home-schooled through 8th grade and will go to high-school in a different town than where this all happened. I don't really know how Josh will do at the high-school because he doesn't take crap from anyone anymore. 

I really don't worry about him taken care of himself to much anymore because he could kick my butt.

Josh never really had any friends when he was younger because he was always made fun of.  He doesn't really have any friends know because he is so mean and everyone is scared of him. Of course no one remembers what happened to make him be so tough except his family. 

You see there are two sides to this bulling thing and you never know what might happen.  My brother choose to fight back but some may not have that in them and  decide to give up.  I can see how bulling hurts all involved obviously the one being bullied but also the bullier, once you start you don't want it to be the way it was before.

Unless you are the one being bullied you don't really know who is doing what to whom as long as its not you who really cares… RIGHT…  well that needs to change everyone should care. Unfortunately we are human and it is in our nature to be this way always trying to be better then someone else.  

I wish I could say it would be different but there is always going to be hatred in the world.  I can say that I will not ever be a bully, I will not stand for anyone being bullied around me either.

By: Richard Meehan

Notes:

I had the choose to go back to public school myself but decided against it.  It is not for me there is way to much to do in the world then deal with all the drama of a high-school. I have plenty of friends from the high-school and listening to what happens there am glad I was given the choose.  I started acting as part of my schooling and have since been in a few movies.  I was just recently on the set of "Broken Silence" a film that is slated for lifetime latter this year that deals with high-school bulling, sexting and suicide.   If you would like to learn when the film will be release follow my facebook fanpage.

My thoughts are with all the families that have to deal with this and the side effects that stick around for alot longer if not forever.