People who have been bullied at home
Rebekah's story
"It all started when my mum got married again. I liked my new stepsister. She was older than me and I thought she was really beautiful.
When she moved in, though, her friends came round all the time and she made fun of me. She kept on telling me I was fat and ugly. She said if I told Mum, I'd be in trouble and I'd split the family up.
Then she started breaking my things and saying that if I didn't tidy up her room, she'd tell Mum that I was rude to her. I did try to talk to Mum but she was so happy that I didn't want to spoil things for her.
My step-sister kept on teasing me with hurtful remarks about the way I looked and I began to feel frightened of being alone with her. One evening, I decided that I should leave home. I didn't know where I could go, so I rang ChildLine.
The counsellor really took me seriously and when we talked about the problem I ended up thinking that leaving home wasn't the answer. She helped me work out how I could talk to my mum and stepdad about what was happening and what it was doing to me.
My stepsister said that she was only joking but I could see that she was really shaken by just how unhappy she had made me. We get on much better now and I know that I can always ring ChildLine again if I need to."
Supplied by ChildLine
