Bullying On The Bus

By now everyone has heard some heart wrenching story of childhood bullying. Some kid that for whatever reason does not fit in with his or her “peers”. Maybe it’s that they are “geeks” or “goths“ or it is thought that they might be Gay. Sometimes those stories play out in dramatic fashion like they did in Littleton at the now famous Columbine High School. Or in California, where Larry King, was gunned down by a fellow teen for giving him a Valentine's Day card. These CNN worthy stories are without a doubt awful but rarely, if ever, focus on what the far reaching effects of bullying have on the people that endure it.

Your very own Boy About Town went through this hell all during high school, which should shock nobody that has ever met me. I don’t fit into any of those groups that define high school life. Hell I still am a square peg in a world of round holes, that did not sound so dirty in my head…anywho! What many of you do not know is that I too grew up in Littleton, Colorado just a few short miles away from where 2 young men gunned down helpless students in the middle of the school day. And while I in no way condone or agree with what happened that day I do understand the environment that lead to feeling so hurt & alone that those 2 young men struck out at those that they thought had wronged them. At my school, Arapahoe High, the issue of being different was a non-issue. It did not happen. At school we had about 2000 plus kids running around this lily white suburb of Denver trying their hardest to NOT stand out in any way. And I played along. I DID TOO! I wore the right clothes, my family lived & (and still does) in a very respectable upper middle class neighborhood and I played the right sports. Not well, but I did play. But even then my inner diva was starting to shine though. And this was where trouble started. There were 3 main guys that wet outta their way to make my life a living hell. Allan Blood, Chris Weed & Tom Wilson. These 3 caused so much pain & drama in my household that 20 years later I have still not spoken to my Mother or Father. Crank calling the house, egging the house and the teasing in the hallways! It was outta of control. Last heard Allan Blood was in Africa spreading the book of Mormon & doing his best to ensure that we have lots of new little closed minded morons running around. Chris Weed was living up to his last name & was bouncing from one dead end job to another. And Tom Wilson was living with his BOYFRIEND in Denver. Come on folks, there had to be at least one in the group. Yes these are their real names & please boys threatened to sue, please I could use the press! After leaving school & Littleton behind and never returning for more then minutes at a time I truly thought I had left all that in my rear view! I went to school in Chicago & London. Partied my 20’s away with everyone who was anyone on South Beach. And now, after wrestling my demons, have returned to my life in Hollywood where while not at the top of the heap I am a player. Everything is golden. And then I met a little girl.

 

My friends Jessica & Jay have a 8 year old daughter that we are going to call Lady M. Lady M is many things but calm & quite are not on that list. Now a lot of you will say she is an active child & that is normal. True, it is. But at a certain point there becomes a difference between active & performing. I know the difference, I never pay attention to it myself but I do know it! When I first heard about her I thought ADHD! Then one day on the phone her Mom told me that Lady M had not gotten on the school bus in years. Ummm, what now?! It seems that while in the first grade & on the bus Lady M had been the subject of many hurtful, cruel, child like verbal attacks. Kids will be kids, right? Well Mom Jessica pulled her little girl off the big yellow bus & became Lady M’s driver. That was till the other day when The Lady boarded the bus and rode all the way to school sans any bullying! You see the same people that had chased Lady M off the bus years earlier were now her friends. Ahhhh, kids being kids. But I think our Lady M launched a charm offensive that proved she was not going anywhere & she was not a girl to mess with. Enter her inner diva! Now all of the sudden this loud, little girl had a special place in my heart. You see, Lady M and Boy About Town went the same route, granted she is a bit ahead of the curve! We have both said never again. I am different & damn it works well for me! But there are many people that can not get past the fact that at one time, whenever it was, they did not fit in. That awful feeling will creep in to their thoughts and make them second guess themselves. It can lead to addiction issues, acting out sexually and either over achieving in everything one does or floating through life with no sense of purpose. The pain goes on but how one deals with it is the true test.

Boy About Town & Lady M

Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town