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Real-Life Stories
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The saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” just isn’t
true sometimes. Words can hurt.
• Social bullying. Sometimes bullies leave people out of groups. They tell people not to be
friends with someone, or they spread rumors about him. Social bullying hurts the relation-
ships people have with others.
• Physical bullying. Hurting someone or taking something she owns is physical bullying.
Hitting, tripping, breaking something, and stealing all count as physical bullying. Some
people think this is the only kind of bullying, but that’s not true. Sometimes this kind of bul-
lying is called direct bullying, while verbal and social bullying are called indirect bullying.
• Cyberbullying. Bullying doesn’t always happen face to face. Cyberbullying happens on
the Internet. Sending mean messages online, spreading rumors about someone online, or
sending out embarrassing pictures of someone are examples of cyberbullying.
No matter the type, bullying happens over and over again to the same person. If you get upset
because a friend tells you a painting you made isn’t very good, that’s not bullying. You might be
mad or sad, but it only happened once. Your friend isn’t usually so mean. Maybe your friend was
having a bad day, or she was grumpy because she was hungry. Hopefully she apologizes later.
Bullying is a little different. Let’s say a student sitting next to you in art class tells you your art
is awful every day. He paints over your paintings and erases your drawings. He makes you feel bad
over and over again. He’s being mean on purpose to make you feel bad. That’s bullying.
WHY DO PEOPLE BULLY?
When you bully someone, you feel more powerful than the other person. Bullies feel good, be-
cause they feel powerful and strong. They make the people they bully feel weak.
Many bullies are just looking for attention. They think bullying will make them popular. Some
people tell jokes to get attention. Others work really hard at school and get good grades. And a few
become bullies.
Whenever a bully makes other people feel bad, she gets attention. The person being bullied is
paying attention to her. Other people helping her bully or watching her bully are paying attention.
Even if the teacher yells at her, she’s still getting attention. All that attention makes a bully feel
even more powerful and important.
Bullies usually pick on people they think are different from them. They feel the other person’s
difference is a threat to them. For example, a bully might pick on someone who has freckles or is
really tall. Or someone who dresses a little differently or talks differently.
Life isn’t fun for people who get bullied. But sometimes bullies find life hard, too. Things might
be hard at home. Parents are yelling or even hurting each other. Or big brothers and sisters are
picking on them.
The bully at school might be bullied or hurt at home. He takes out his bad feelings on other
people by bullying them. Bullying makes him feel better.