First off, I'd like to say that bullying is in no way condonable and no one should be picked on or made fun of for whatever reason. Bullying is a horrible experience to go through and no one deserves it; not even the bullies themselves.

With that being said, yes, I'm glad I was bullied. My bullies were never the same throughout school. I had one bully in first grade, a new one in third, fourth, sixth etc. It wasn't until high school where I had bullies that were consistent for two years. Each experience was different. I was picked on because of the clothes I wore, what my hair color was, my height, the fact that I couldn't play sports well and a variety of other reasons.

Being bullied made me cautious and self-conscious. I kept to myself a little more than I probably should have, but it benefited me. Instead of trying to play on the playground with the other kids during recess, I read a book. During lunch in middle school, when I had no one to sit with, I read a book. In the instances where I was worried about being made fun of or rejected, I decided to read. Doing this pushed me towards a love of books. The characters became my friends and although I still tried to make friends in real life, it didn't always work out. I always had the fictional characters to rely on and tell myself that if they can get through tough times so can I. It was really what got me through. If I wasn't bullied I might not have been driven towards reading as much as I was. Now I plan on being a publisher after I graduate.

Obviously there were a lot of downsides of bullying, and I can remember more than one occasion where I'd get off the bus crying because the bully pulled my hair or I stopped wearing my favorite shirt in eighth grade because the bully said it made me look strange. Aside from reading, there were other pros of being bullied. It helped me see who my true friends were. In high school I felt like the bullying days were finally over. I had a group of friends that while I felt like I couldn't be completely myself around, they did invite me places and hey, it was a group. However, these friends turned into bullies. There's nothing worse than being bullied by people you thought were your friends. If the bully wasn't a friend it was easier to write off, but when they're the only friends you have it's devastating. But, that's another article.

My "friends" were the worst bullies I had. There was no name calling or pulling hair, but it was the classic cyber bullying done these days. Their attacks were texted and rumors were spread. I lost not only a group of friends, but acquaintances I had because people believed their tales. It was hands down the worst time period of my life, but I'm glad it happened. I am now able to tell who actually likes me for me. I settled for friends who I couldn't be myself around because I was scared of having no one. Bullying taught me that the true friends, the real ones you can count on, will help you stand up to bullies instead of encourage them.

I'm glad I was bullied. I'm glad I had those experiences under my belt because even though they made me self conscious at first, I'm now stronger than ever. I wish bullying wasn't something kids have to deal with and I join the fight against bullying every day. I don't let people get to me the way they used to because I'm going to wear what I want, dye my hair whatever color I want and be me. If they can't handle that, jokes on them. Bullying victims can overcome it and I'm confident that one day, bullying will be eradicated completely.