Thought so.

I was endlessly and brutally teased about the things that did embarrass me. But I was so happy to have the braces and the glasses that I didn't even care if anybody called me "Metal Mouth" or "Four Eyes." So, they didn't. They tried a couple of times but quickly stopped, whereas on the other topics they didn't let up even for a minute.

I suppose this is fuel for the fires of all the adults who told me, "Just ignore them, and they'll stop. They only do it because they know it bothers you." Well, I have a few things to say about that. To begin with, I never could understand the concept of being mean on purpose, picking out the most hurtful things to say, just because they are the most hurtful things to say. The more sensitive the sore spot, the more likely it will be kicked. It doesn't make any sense to me. Why would anybody deliberately choose to hurt another person? It really wasn't the words they said that hurt me. It was the fact that they wanted me hurt, that hurt me. This is why I cannot imagine the words, "Don't be so sensitive, I'm just messing with you," coming out of a family member or anyone who claims to be my friend. People who actually care about me wouldn't consider it fun to "mess with" me.

Second, "just ignore them" doesn't go far enough. I ignored the other names I was called too, in that I didn't answer back, but those names kept on coming. Even as a senior in high school I was still hearing many a disapproving, "Where did you get that outfit? At the Goodwill?" They gave me the Forrest Gump treatment on the school bus, putting their feet up in the seats to stop me from sitting with them. When I entered the room, they would call out, "Whale on the beach!" And I said nothing back. I ignored it, just as parents and teachers always told me to. But it didn't stop them.

Come to think of it, I even remember telling some kid who was bullying me that he was not hurting me, and he knew I was lying. He answered with a laugh, "Oh yes I am," and kept right on. You can't just pretend it doesn't get to you. You have to find a way to make it honestly NOT get to you. That, not merely "ignoring it," is the only way it will stop.