Dear Bully,

Remember that sweet-looking girl in your third grade class named Michelle? You know, the one who loved to wear pigtails to class. She also had slightly larger teeth than the other kids. 

She told me that on one specific day while she was on the swing set, minding her own business, you went up to her and said, "Oh great. We have another bucktoothed beaver in the class." You went even further to make fun of the mole on the back of her neck and decided to call her "Mighty Mole."  

Well, Bully, that buck-toothed beaver mighty mole happens to be my mom.

Do you know what saying those kind of things does to an eight year-old? Do you know how the things you say can stick with an individual throughout their adulthood? 

I'm sure you do, because I heard that you were bullied also. They say that most bullies decide to abuse others because they are bullied themselves. I guess that was the case for you too, unfortunately.

I wonder what kind of toll the things that your bully said had on you. Your words to my mom caused her to stop wearing pigtails to school because she wanted to hide her mole. That's quite a shame because wearing pigtails is a highlight of being a little girl and you ruined that for her. 

As a kid, my mom was afraid of needles. And when I say afraid, I mean she was deathly afraid. She hated going to the doctor and she hated getting shots. But because of you, little eight year-old Michelle braved the needle and got her mole removed so that she could wear pigtails and people could call her by her real name. 

October is National Bullying Prevention month. I hope that while you sit and reflect on the times that you were bullied, you recall the times you yourself committed this horrendous act. Maybe you even have your own kids who are either getting bullied or are being bullies like you were. I hope you teach them the right thing to do and tell them not to act like you did when you were younger. 

Just so you know, the things you said to my mom weren't worth it. I don't know what would compel you to say such things except maybe to benefit yourself from feeling put down by others. My mom remembers everything you said, and still remembers exactly how she felt 40 years ago on the playground when you referred to her as a buck-toothed beaver and mighty mole. 

For the record, she grew up to be an extremely successful woman who actually looks pretty dang good. And because of you, while she raised me, she ensured that I never made anyone feel the same way you made her feel. 

Part of me would like to thank you because now I know that every word I say to somebody can stick with them for the rest of their life. Now I know to think before I act.

I hope you've learned to think before you act too, bully. 

Sincerely,

The Proud Daughter of the Bucktoothed Beaver, Mighty Mole