People who bully - aged 13 to 15 years old
Jay's story
"There's this boy in our class, Carl. He was a right pain, I mean, he just whinged about everything. I once told him he was a wimp and he cried and the awful thing was that I felt good seeing him cry. The others laughed and that made me feel even better.
Then it got to be a habit. People copied me and I got even worse and said really horrible things. Then I started hiding his stuff and I really enjoyed seeing him panic and run about getting hysterical. I used to think it was funny.
Then I found out from a teacher that Carl was in hospital because he'd tried to hurt himself to get away from bullying.
It had only been a bit of fun really - I hadn't realised how it made him feel. I didn't mean him to take it seriously. I rang ChildLine and said I was afraid that there was something wrong with me. I mean it's not normal to like hurting people is it?
The counsellor was great. He talked to me about my family, how Dad had treated me just like I'd treated Carl when I cried, and how I felt when he did it. I even sort of understood my dad a bit better.
The counsellor asked me if I had anyone I could talk to about it all. In the end I talked to my uncle. He's Mum's brother and we go to football together. He helped me get back into the habit of helping people out rather than putting them down and made me feel better about myself.
I even apologised to Carl for what I'd done. It was difficult but I'm glad I did and now I don't feel like there's something wrong with me."
Supplied by ChildLine
A poem by Joanne, who bullied others at school
I regret it now,
I've apologised now,
But I know it's not OK.
Maybe I thought it was a joke,
But I'm sure it hurt you bad,
It wasn't just me,
But I know now it was sad.
Just little things - we read your diary,
We laughed at your things,
We whispered behind your back,
Just loud enough for you to hear,
Cos we were jealous of your clothes and your hair.
We were only ten or eleven,
And I regret it now,
I've apologised now,
But I know it's not OK.
Cos now I know what it's like.
You know how they talk about karma?
You know how they talk about results?
Just little things - they spread the rumours,
They laughed at my views,
They whispered behind my back,
Just loud enough for me to hear,
Maybe they were jealous,
I was smart and I didn't care.
At first I let it get to me,
Going red inside my head,
I thought it was my fault,
Things I shouldn't have said,
Didn't tell anyone,
Just took it on my own,
By the time they were throwing cans at me,
My confidence had grown.
Maybe you thought it was a joke,
But you know it hurt me bad,
It wasn't just one of you,
To be honest I think your sad,
Cos I told my teachers,
My parents and your school,
They phoned you up and told you,
For once and for all,
That bullying isn't cool.
