I personally feel I use Facebook for so many things. I really don't even like the phone anymore..maybe because when we moved to Marco Island over a year ago, my phone stopped ringing.
(Lets face it. Marco is 16 miles from downtown Naples ((approx. 20min. ride....30min. if you live in North Naples...) which personally I have no qualms about the ride into Naples, but it seems that most of the people that I was friendly with would never take "That long trip to Marco" Whatever))

Anyway, SO I am beginning to connect with quite a few people on Facebook from elementary, Jr. high and high school. I found a Friend who lives in Naples that went to Foster School and Central with me. I was so excited and we met for a chat and had a wonderful time. Great to be with her and since she lives "close" (Naples). We have made more plans to see each other... but there are some people on Facebook, I have to admit that I am not sure about. I read a lot on my friend Lisa's blog about how she was bullied so much by other kids. Bullies to the extent of having to leave one school to join us in Junior High at another school. Her memories of her school years are not so fond, and as I read more about her trials, I can see why. I hope that Lisa does have a few fond memories of the friendship we shared in Jr. High and HHS....we had fun in the summer doing community theatre as well as the Drama Club at HHS....
But she opened up a box that had been shut for years. The High School years. ARGGG. I loathed High School. It really was ONLY the Drama Club and Drama Class that actually got me out of bed each morning to the bus stop in the freezing cold and into homeroom.....Everything else was a total blurr. Honestly...I have run into a few people in my 23 years out of HHS and have had NO IDEA who they were. Shame, but truth.

As a member of the Drama Club I can say you basically marked yourself for bullying. With out a doubt. You NEEDED to be popular, you needed to be from a wealthy family, you needed to have your own car, you needed to play sports, you needed to smoke pot, to drink, to be smarter, to go on lavish spring breaks etc, but if you were in the Drama Club... basically a death sentence. But one thing that ALL those kids that teased Lisa and myself and other from the club never knew was, they really hurt our feelings....The Drama Club was great. We had so much fun and we relished in each others victories as performers, we encouraged each other to do their best and we were fr000iends. We had the most talented teacher in HHS directing us for our High School careers, for living in the moment and preparing us fully for the world beyond HHS auditorium. If we chose to go into acting, production or anything else arts related. It we chose not to continue on out of HHS it didn't matter. He solidified us as people and future... Our other classmates, continued to tease us.
I remember one time during my senior year musical, The Music Man, I was doing a song on stage w/ Jamie and I looked out and saw all the "COOL KIDS" in the audience. Kinda baffled me. A few days later, I asked one of the "cool kids" who was in my history class if they liked the show...."We HAD to go," she said, "We couldn't play in our next game if we didn't see your stupid show."

Look. I could suggest to Lisa that she just GET OVER IT... 23 years is a long time to be carrying around this bully shit, but you know what. I'm not. Lisa is a great activist for bullying and I don't blame her. The thing is.. I see these same "Cool Kids" on friend requests on Facebook. I think back to who there were in HHS. I see photos of their children and I wonder to myself it their kids will be bullies or even be bullied.

I have a child to raise and I have to raise him in a confident manner. I have to try to instill in him goodness and love, compassion and strength. I have to teach him to honor himself and others, to love thy neighbour and his enemies. I have this BIG job ahead of me that he does not fall into either side of that bullying trap, that maybe he could stand up for himself or for another who is a victim of bullying...friend or not.
I mostly stay away from accepting THOSE "friend requests" because of the past....and I am well aware that part of forgiveness is realising that I can't change the past...so 23 years later... may be silly to hold on to something... but maybe I may wait another 10-15 years and see how their children are making out.....
Lisa, this I can say to you.. I will promise to do my best in raising my son to be kind, friendly, strong, and accepting....I will ask GOD each day to give me the tools to provide Joey with positive words for him and others around him in hopes that he will NOT be a bully or a victim, but he would see how others are being hurt by words or actions and he would stand up for them. I promise.