Have you ever heard the phrase “Words can hurt?” There is nothing but truth behind these three little words I’m going to let you in on a personal story.
My name is Angel Burton, some of you may know me, but for those of you who don’t, this is my life story.
At the age of two I was put into foster care. I do not really recall much from then, but what I can remember is the tormenting and the bullying that I endured.
It started in third grade, when all the other kids found out that I was a foster child. I was immediately out-casted and practically shunned. I was different from all the other students. I didn’t have a mom or even a dad. I was a “freak,” or so they called me. I was nine years old and being bullied everyday at school. It sent me into a severe depressive state which sometimes included terrible thoughts.
As I got older the tormenting and the name calling only got worse. Even my teachers treated me differently. By the time I hit fifth grade I thought I had heard it all. I was called a “freak of nature” to an “inbred child.” Fifth grade was the worst year for me. I thought I had finally made some friends, but in all reality it turned out that I hadn’t made any. My so-called friends started telling me that I was “unwanted” and that I would never have a family and that no one loved me. By the middle of my fifth grade year I had finally decided that I’d had enough. I moved foster homes hoping to escape it all. In the next few months that followed I moved foster homes right times. The bullying only got worse with every home I went to. I sank even deeper into my depression.
In 2006, God finally answered the prayer I had been praying for. I met two of the most amazing people in the world. Their names were Sam and Debbie Burton, or as I call them my Momma and Daddy. It took me ten years of moving from foster home to foster home to find them, but eventually I did.
I am now almost eighteen and a senior in high school. I was adopted on February 12, 2007. I am not going to say that the bullying and the tormenting has stopped altogether, because not only would I be lying to you but I would also be lying to myself. I’ve learned that there will always be someone trying to cut you down and make you feel terrible, but you don’t have to take it. Stand tall, look them in the eyes and give them your biggest and brightest smile. You may be different from other people, but that is okay. God didn’t want two of the same people. So, next time that you’re being bullied or that you see someone being bullied, take a stand. You never know just how much it means. And if you are the one bullying someone else, take a step back and look closely into the mirror and ask yourself one simple question. “Would I want to be bullied?”
Imboden Live would like to thank Angel Burton for contributing her story and writing this piece on bullying to share with readers.