Made fun of by a bunch of dumbos :(

Been there and done that. Was not good at sports either. Joined the rifle team where no physical strength was needed. Wound up Captain of the team and we took the league championship. I still have the letter sweater. Got stuffed in my locker a few times by some of the muscle-heads but just let it roll off my back. Was only 4'8" tall when I graduated High School. I found my real friends after graduation when I started working for a living. I still see them all the time and it's 58 years later.

Take Care. Hang in there. You've got a ton of friends here.

Jim  

I'm stabbing in the dark for your age group, being in gym class and all, and I don't know how receptive to advice your age group is,especially from a dinosaur, but here's what I told my kids in similiar situations. This too shall pass, life IS unfair, wah, wah, get over it. Learn to be content with yourself and all will eventually fall into place.

templar1099

I'm stabbing in the dark for your age group, being in gym class and all, and I don't know how receptive to advice your age group is,especially from a dinosaur, but here's what I told my kids in similiar situations. This too shall pass, life IS unfair, wah, wah, get over it. Learn to be content with yourself and all will eventually fall into place.

 

Yup. It's all part of growing up. Just make sure the bullying don't get too out of hand. I'm finding it hard there are "muscle-heads" in 8th grade. They're not muscle heads, they're what we call are jocks. All their brains are still undeveloped.

Sound advice? Man up, grow a set and learn to ignore them.

Fortress, first I'll give you the bad news but then I'll give you the good news.

First, the bad news.  I'll start off by guessing that you're around 13 or 14 years old.  I'm 45.  Even way back during the Stone Age when I was in the 8th grade, the exact same thing was still going on.  It happend back then and it will continue to happen long into the future.  Back when I was in school, I was never bad at sports but, at the same time, I was never great at them either.  I never did well in the sports where you had to play a pivotal cog in the team such as a basketball team or football team.  Instead, I found out that I did great at those sports where it was more of an individual effort.  I found solice in sports like swimming, racquetball, etc, where basically I was "doing battle" more against myself than anything else.  I might not have been able to lift up a team but I could do things like improve my personal best time and things like that.

But getting back to your situation, turds like those bigger kids will always be there.  Don't you EVER feel badly for the names they call you or for the fact that they're taunting you.  The issue is with them, not you.  Pity them instead.  Feel sorry for the fact that they probably have bad home lives or, at the very least, such low self-esteem about themselves that they feel the need to bring others down.  The way they acted towards you is a reflection of them, NOT you!  I cannot emphasise that enough.

Now here's the challenging part.  If/when they tease you from this day forward, you have to know in your heart that the problem is with them.  Tell youself that daily.  Engrave it in stone in your head.  Know it.  Their words may hurt at first but the challenge comes when you decide and act on how you're going to deal with it.  You basically have two options.  One is to allow it to beat you down.  The other option is to make the decision to emotionally brush it off and not let those thugs hold that much power over you.  People like them are garbage.  Are you going to let the garbage win, or are you going to defeat them by being mentally stronger than them?  This is your decision to make.  YOU have that power over them.

Now for the good news:  It really will get better.  Back when I was in the 8th grade, I had moved to a new school in the middle of the year.  It sucked both socially and grade-wise.  It sort of carried over into high school.  By the time I graduated, I had four die-hard friends who, to this day, are still my best friends.  They're virtually my brothers and sisters.  So you see?  It will get better.  Couple this with the fact that, if you decide to go, college will be a whole new ballgame.  It was my experience that college was some of the most fun I've ever had in my life.  In high school, I was the skinny kid with glasses.  In college, nobody cared about that.

Alright, I've rambled on enough but it's about a topic of which I feel passionate about especially since I've "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt".  Hang in there, Fort.  This is a time in your life when you are going to be facing many challenges.  You might not be loaded with physical muscles but now's your opportunity to develop your mental/emotional strength.  Rise to the challenge!  Prove it to yourselve.  I know you can do it.  There's no reason you can't.

Eric

Hang in there. Remind yourself every day that the world got its share of fools, it doesn't need one more.

Treasure your friends and dismiss your enemies.

If you can laugh about it at all, do.

Find someone to talk to about this, either at school, at church or at home.

Probably this isn't the place, one responder has already been nixed by the mods.

Do not fall for the temptation to be violent, whatever you do.

Thanks guys!  This means a lot.  I'm lanky.  I'm the youngest in my grade, but one of the tallest.  I got insulted today again in volleyball.  But tennis is coming soon, and that will be my revenge.  

Thanks again!

I had been picked on starting when I was about 7.  My brothers kept it up relentlesly until they graduated and went to college.  Not only would I get it at home, and some werious things went on there to say the least, but I also got it aroundthe neighborhod sane at school. 

There it was the typical things, go to the other team, the last one picked, and so on.  It got to the point that I would leave class on the excuse that I had work to do on an upcomming play or something and then sit out two or three classes, just so I didn't have to be around them.  I would also walk to school and home rather than take the bus.  I ended up a poor student because I was more concerned with what the others were doing to me and could not learn anything in moost classes. 

This went on until I somehow managed to graduate high school.

Even though it might not be easy, keep going, you can get through it.  Do better than I did. 

Shortly after graduating, I got drafted and went into the Air Force instead of the Army.  After basic I went into the Security Police where I specialized in Law Enforcement.  A few months later I received orders for South East Asia which sent me back to Lackland, Medina Annex, and Camp Bullis for combat school.

I met Nemo.  He was retired and living in the K-9 School coupound in a solitary run area seperated form the school dogs and well taken care of. 

Fortress -

Many well thought out and expressed sentiments already, I'll just add that your life in school and at this age, does not represent what is to come. Those that do behave poorly and in such a mean spirited way, are just not people that are someone to be with anyway, best to simply avoid them.

You are your own person, build on your own strengths, do things that have positive results. Seek out the ones that are open to friendship, steer clear of the hostile ones. After maturing into adults, those that are of the mean sort will either grow out of it, or continue on the path of openly poor social practice.

As you reach adulthood, you will know much more of life than you do now. Friends that you make along the way may well be friends for life, those that were mean to you will soon enough be forgotten, just as it should be. 

I was a skinny, short and undersized farm kid, not only wasn't good at sports, I had no interest in them anyway. I had other interests, so did some other kids, we made friends and did the things we found enjoyment in. Building models was one of them, reading about aviation was another, hunting, fishing, you name it, we had plenty of fun things we could share.

I'm 75, at my age I can look back fondly at my school days, remembering well the friends that I had, but I can't even remember the names of those that went out of their way to be mean spirited bullies. Life will look altogether different to you, in not very many more years.

I hope you'll write back, and tell us at about at least one really enjoyable experience that you have had since this post. And remember, you have friends here that you can chat with any time you want, no meanies allowed at FSM.

Patrick  

lazyfortress, try living with a physical handicap like a mild case of cerebral palsey which affected both legs, left arm & speech problem that mostly went away with time. had to have 2 operations on my legs when i was 4 & 10yrs old so i can somewhat walk normally. had that since i was born 56 1/2 years ago but i've noticed the past few years that my mobility in the legs are slowly disappearing. oh well at least my hands, arms & mind is still good to work on my computers & model warships.

Seems like there are a lot of us here that were in the same boat as you. All the above are right.  Your time will come and it won't be in sports----something else will click and away you will go. Mine lasted through Jr and Sr high--it was the same campus so you had 6 years of it- so I directed myself elsewhere, as a teacher assistant for the drafting instructor- for 2 1/2 years instead of the one semester most got, and on the school paperand annual staff.  The last two years I had a job at the county engineers office for the last two periods of the day ( 7 period day, 4 before and 3 after lunch) and then on til 5 PM every weekday.  The period after lunch was my TA spot. All to no avail, spent the last 40 years after my stint in the USAF as a body/fender tech.  LOL

Rise above it and you will be a better man in the long run, look at what most of the replies are here and what they have made of themselves.

I've had many good times (I've been alive for a decade and 3 years).  I don't really hang with friends, but I spend time with my family, and my German Shepherd, Cookie.  I have a picture of her on my website.  

I've had 2 terrible friends that turned out to be traitors, but now I have 3 good friends that I can count, along with a few others.  I will probably never have a girlfriend (although I would like to have one), but let's stop with this negativity.  Here's the positive in my life:

I have a very friendly and protective dog, along with a very over-protective family.  My dad's a Gulf War vet.  Served with the 160th Airborne.  I enjoy spotting aircraft at BWI and IAD.  IAD has the "heavies", BWI has mainly narrow-bodies.  

I also get signals from satellites and ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) on the 120-147 MHz band.  It's cool.  I like researching about satellites and aircraft, along with computer viruses.  Computer viruses interest me.  I don't create them, nor do I support the releasing of viruses into the "wild".  I just like spotting viruses and executing them with a junk computer.  I also like walking my dog. I feel protected with my dog.

I like visiting museums.  Any museum, mainly tech/aerospace-related.  I hate amusement parks.  I enjoy playing Flight Simulator X and adding AI traffic and custom AI aircraft with AIFP (Artificial Intelligence Flight Planner).  I love math.  It's like a puzzle.  Combing terms to get your solution.

And I enjoy building models.  

And I love Internet Explorer.  I had to say that.  It is the best browser (to me).  I even dedicated a page of my website to IE.  

My website name and my username is another thing.  In 2011, I joined this online game called ROBLOX.  My dad and I came up with the name "lazyfortress" after thinking about our favorite aircraft (at the time).  Lazyfortress came from "Flying Fortress".  We just changed the adjective, as the username would be a bit long.  I've used that username for every account I've created, except my email and test email, which uses "donotrespondAA".  My actual email uses my real life name and my favorite civil airliner series, the 737.  I love the 737-300, one of the "classic" 737s.

Did I type too much?  If I did...  It was worth it!

Listen, from your last post you got a lot going for you.Hang tough.

Well, I'm 60 and see that nothing has changed. You will always have knuckle heads that want to bully others around.

What I hear from other parents is that girls are even worse and can be brutal with each other.

You will do ok, it's just part of growing up.

Stay strong, young man. Make sure the school admin knows of this. Make sure your parents are aware, too and keep talking it out with them. There will always be those that tear others down, because of their own failings. I've been on that end of it, too. It will pass, or simply find something else to do that you are good at.

Don't worry about the lack of girls yet, that will come in a few more years.  Had a hard time there myself, but eventually my soulmate walked into my life.  Had her for 30 years before she passed. 

Patience grasshopper, all things come in their own time.  You sound like you have a firm foundation to build on.

Okay, I've been holding off whether or not I wanted to tell you my story for some time since my last post. Let me give you a harsh reality what I've gone through growing up. By the time you're done reading my post, you will realize your situation is nothing... I mean NOTHING... compared what I've put up with.

A little history:

I was born hard-of-hearing (85% in BOTH ears) and started wearing a hearing aid in my left ear - my "good ear". When I was in Juniro high school, my grandfather decided to have DOT put up a Deaf Child Area sign on my street due to numerous close calls of being hit by a car. One day, the neighborhood kids on my bus started calling me hurtful names about my handicap all because of that sign.

I know my grandfather meant well and I'm glad he had it put up.

The name calling went on for a week or two. So hurtful, a good friend of mine's older sister stood up for me and told them off. Did it stop? No. Anyways, my dad went and visited every kid's parents who was involved in the name calling. They were shocked and unhappy their child did such thing. Except one parent who stood up to my dad and said "And what are you going to do about it?" This parent didn't give a crap if his kid called me names or not. Unfortunately they no longer became my friends - not my choice, theirs because I snitched. Did I cared? Hell, no. Something needed to be done.

Thankfully in high school, there were kids from wealthy families who respeced me and my handicap and never bothered me. They were better kids than those in my neighborhood. Many were jocks. I couldn't ask for a bunch of stand-up class of kids in my grade through out my high school years.

Did the ignorance stop there? Far from it. I still dealt with stupid comments but learned to ignore them. Fast forward 30 years later. I was working part-time at BJ's Wholesale Club. The stock employees had not one, but 2 stereo blasting loud on the same radio station. Keep in mind, BJ's has high ceilings and sound bounce off walls when loud. They hurt my ears while dustmopping the floors.

I went over and turned them down. next thing you know someone turned them back up. This went back and forth for a few minutes until one of the low level manager came to me and asked if I was the one turning the radio down. I told him yes.

He said the one wrong thing to me and that is to tell me to "turn off" my hearing aid.

Big, big, mistake. I dropped my dustmop and got into his face within inches and asked him if he really wanted to "go there" with me. I told him he was extremely lucky I didn't jump him and beat the living crap out of him. I also told him I dealt with enough folks like him insulting me as it is growing up. I gave him a choice ; kepp the stereo volumes down or I go home sick - it's his choice and what's it gonna be? He had no choice but back off. Did he apologize to me? Absolutely not.

After that incident, I reported him to HR and the store manager. Did they reprimand him? No, because it's all political and he was a part of the "good 'ol boy" network within management.

Just a couple years ago, my sister told me she's heard hurtful stuff abut me over the years growing up. I didn't ask nor cared to find out. I had an idea because I dealt with more crap than you did.

Middle school is a funny age group - your body's changing, voice changing, you're hitting puberty, and tons of peer pressure. Deal with it the best way you know how. Ignore them. The more you ignore them, the more it's gonna get boring after a while. As I said before, man up, have thick skin, and grow a set. Soon, all this shall come to pass.

I should also mentioned there was a German Shepherd who used to roam my neighborhhood. His name was Sparky and he was huge. My parents were worried and afraid of what the dog would do. Anyways, Sparky used to hang with us at the bus stop every morning and after school. When kids started to make fun of me or give me trouble, guess who was standing between me and them? Sparky. He could sense I was handicap because of my hearing. After a while, I never saw him again. To this day, I still wondered what had happened to him. Did he get hit by a car? Did he get picked up by Animal Control? Did the owners move away? I don't know. I sure miss him though.

Hmm, the link to your page in your sig did not work so I did a Google search. Is this your page?

https://sites.google.com/site/lazyfortress/

.

This looks like his correct site: Here

Yeah I saw that site as well which for some reason didn't work in his sig as it added a %21 to the end of the Url. I do finding interesting that the avatar here and the pic of the dog on the site I linked is the same. Just some interesting "coincidences", that's all.

.

Hey, you sound like you've got a lot on the ball, and have a great future ahead of you. You're smart, introspective and articulate, and talented. Believe me, kind--you'll be making the kind of money one day that those blockheads could only dream of. And you WILL get girls--lots of 'em. Girls like sucessful guys. And you WILL be successful, if you keep the proper attitude.

When I was your age, I was suicidal. Literally. I wanted to kill myself. I was the target of bullies who made my life m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e. I was the skinny red-haired kid who was invisible to girls, had no sports talent, no athletic ability, and was rebellious and brooding. I got into drugs from the one kid who saw something in me to befriend--the paperboy. By the time I was 13, I wanted to just escape the feelings of worthlessness.

Then I discovered the guitar.

When people ask me now what it was that was my inspiration for becoming the professional musician that I am today, I always say, without hesitation "It was hatred". I hated those #@$%!%$!'s so much who tormented me and made my life hell that I made myself a promise: I said to myself: "Some day, they're going to WANT to know me!". I quit drugs, and drinking, cold-turkey. And I channeled that hatred and emotion into endless hours of practice and dedication. Obsession, really. Just to redeem myself, for myself. By the time I was 19, I was one of the hottest guitarists in the area. I had more girls than I could handle. It was a glorious redemption.

Today, I look back on that time and realize that it forged me, like steel in a furnace. It prepared me to deal with issues now that might drive others into self-destructive behaviors.

The truth is, people who are popular and who get things easily in life never really develop that character and strength that people like you and me will and have, kid. It's just like heartbreak in love---if you never get your heart broken, you'll never know the strength of picking yourself up when you're broken into a thousand pieces on the ground. Been there too, and I'm grateful NOW for every guy who ever abused me and every girl who broke my heart, because I wouldn't be who I am and WHERE I am without their ..... "inspiration".

Stay strong, kid. I believe in you.

Agree with everything others had said. Here are my two cents...In my old country (I live in Canada now) there were 2 main sports: soccer and basketball. If you don't play one of those or if you are not that interested in them people would look at you as if there is something wrong with you. So what? So this: not only that I didn't particularly care about them, I couldn't even play them. I was just a klatz with two left hands and two left legs and was often ridiculed and never picked for a class team. Then I discovered that there are other sports...I figured that I was pretty good swimmer and after few medals clasmates (and girls) started paying attention. Later I got into sailing and the coolest thing was windsurfing. Everybody and his dog kicked the ball on the beach, but a buddy of mine and I were there carving the waves...we become cool, man And few more medals, we made them pay attention. Of course, the dickheads didn't stop, now they bullied because they were jelous and envious and that was the only way to "get to me". But by now I had my shields up Then came triathlon...swim, bike, run...Try a tri and you will fall in love with the sport. You will be Mr. Fitness, the douchebags can't touch you. I was a sponsored athlete, qualified for pro card. What was driving me? Among other things, a red hot desire to get back at all those who were bullying me. Whoz da man now mother#@&%, whoz da man? It was awsome. Success is the best thing ever and you can have it. Find something you love and kick ass in it. Don't worry about the chicks...dude, you are 13 yrs old. Be kind and respectful, be yourself and they will find you.

Cheers...and don't hesitate to come to FSM forum, it is a good place

Just to add to your self esteem, you have no idea how much courage it took you to post your original post, OK maybe you do, but that's not the point. My input is listen to the folks who posted before me. Life does suck 13, 35,47 whatever your age but it only sucks because you let it. You sound like you are on the road to having it figured out, once you accept your position in life you can strive to be the BEST at whatever your heart desires. NEVER settle for less than your personal best, YOU are the only one you need to worry about impressing, so what if you can't catch a ball, maybe you can lick your own elbow, I can't do either but I helped my co workers make a tablet talk to an airplane. Don't worry about friends you will only have two or three GOOD friends your entire life, their names will change but you'll know who they are. Girls, Hahaha way more important things to worry about, don't worry she'll come too and with any luck she will enjoy the company of a nerdy glue sniffer, found mine 16 years ago and she is AWESOME. Hang in there LazyFortress, love your dog, study hard, and be proud of your accomplishments because YOU achieved them.

armornut

... YOU are the only one you need to worry about impressing...

 

That's it, my man!!!

That...and...YOU are the only one that you can truly rely on.

I, as most, have had HUGE ups and downs..as will you(most likely). I've had my dreams, right in the palm of my hand, only to have them smashed, by so-called "friends". Like Doog...guitars "saved" me, in my youth. Years later, my band was offered a contract, with national and world tours included...my DREAM!!! The night of our "signing" party, we played a huge club in Kansas City....AMAZING show, packed house, everything was PERFECT! We finished our set...as I walked over to the table to "sign the dotted line"...our singer...my "friend", said the wrong thing to the wrong guy...contract ripped in half and dropped on the floor. Boohoo....move on. Dream #2...went to school to get a flying gig with the airlines(or anywhere)...spent a LOT of money, crammed "commercial/instrument/multi-engine" ratings in 9 months...long story, short...my father in law (not paying his share, in my house) cost me a pilot gig. I got back into building models...which "saved" me again.

 Life is a struggle..we all have our demons. Getting through the "downs" makes us that much stronger. I couldn't tell you how many times I've walked into the woods (deer hunting), that I had absolutely no intention of walking back out...the only thing that ever stopped me was knowing the aftermath for my wife and child. Ya never know what life has in store for you. I've had an up/down relationship with depression my whole life...going back to my early youth. Now, at 40, I just started my own business (just started working two weeks ago) and have already made more money this week than I ever did in a month, working for someone else! Life is good, again!!! I thought my best years were well behind me...who knows...they may be yet to come?!!!

 I know, it all sound kinda negative...not my intension. You seem to have at least some focus on where you want to be someday. Don't lose that. Find people who are where you want to be and talk to them, ask questions. Above all, heed their advice! Forget about all the distractions. Easier said than done, I know...someday, you'll be thankful that you did!

Now, you can see that you are not alone experiencing this dilema. You can also see that those of us who suffered as you did moved on and became good solid members of this great society we call humanity. 

My story, well it took place later in my life. Let's just say that when I returned from Viet Nam the welcome home was "lacking". I sought out those in my peer group and well, the ones I saw who were coping, they all seemed to be policeman. I had a 35 year career on the Chicago Police Department because of that.

Take all of this advice and use it to your advantage. We wouldn't steer you wrong. We have all been there. 

lazyfortress

I am not good at sports and all, and today during gym, I was partnered up with a group of muscle-heads, and they started to make fun of me for not catching the ball.  I started to talk crap, and they made fun of me for that.  Words hurt.  

When we had to switch sides with another team, my original team told me to go away, so I went to another open team, which was another group of muscle-heads.  They didn't want me either, so in my frustration, I went off and stood by the fence.  My teacher said the negativity would end in 10th grade.  2 more grades to go (I hope).  Not being accepted by a group hurts even worse.

It's always the nummies who make fun of smart people.    

Now I wonder what's gonna happen tomorrow.

It stinks having friends who you only see a few times during the day.  I have 3 good friends, along with a few non-nerds that I can count on.  Life is unfair.

A couple of things...

1. Hold on as best you can.  One thing you will learn, when you graduate from high school, is that much of what seems important, to you, and to everyone else, is absolutely meaningless.  The Popular Kids, the Jocks, the Brainy Kids, every clique, all of that goes out the window, generally speaking, when you graduate, get a job, and start building a life for yourself.  Because it's all essentially childishness.  You will make new associations, the associations of adults.  And while being an adult brings with it a new set of worries, the latst thing you have to worry about is people giving you the same kind of nonsense that they gave each other on the playground or elsewhere, while they were in school.
2. Don't let this specific experience sour you on sports and physical exercise.  It's important to your health, to get out and move.  Again, when you're an adult, you'll find it easier to pursue physical activities that you enjoy, and to find others who share that enjoyment, and they won't give you a hard time because you're not as fast/strong/agile as they are.  OK, you might meet some Scheissköpfe in softball leagues, who behave like big children, but generally, most other adults are too busy to be that childish to one another.  I wasn't an athlete when I was a kid, either--that was my brother.  But I took up running when I was in college, and played intramural softball and football, and took up riding bike.  I also got Red Cross certification to be a life guard (it was a PE credit in college), so that took care of my summer job after my freshman year.  And after I graduated, I started playing slow-pitch softball, on teams where I worked.  It was fun to be part of a team, and I played with a good bunch of people.  And after I got too slow to play ball, I took up cycling as my main exercise.  At 40, I rode my first century ride, and I'll keep doing it till I'm too old to get up.  And I have friends who share this same interest, and we enjoy riding togther.  I think you'll find the same thing, if you don't let your high school experiences scare you off.
3. Stick with modeling, but if you do give it up, probably when you graduate, you'll be like 95% of the rest of us modelers, who did the same thing.  Because something else that may very well change for you, in the next couple of years, is that other things will start to demand the time you've spent so far on your hobby.  That's OK.  Most of us discovered the opposite sex, beer, etc, when we hit our late teens, and left our modeling benches behind.  When that happens, the chances are that you come back to it a couple of years later, after you've established your life, and have time for the hobby.  You may stick with it the whole time, too, some folks do.
4. As long as you're still building, join a modeling club, if there is one near you and it's practical for you to do.  Going back to my first point, this is precisely the kind of activity that you will see, is carried out differently from the way gym class works.  Well, OK, again, there may be those who act like babies, but again, some adults do.  Generally, though, most of the people you meet will be receptive.  And there are few things that we old-timers like to do better than to give you young kids advice

Hope that all helps!

Best regards,

Brad

hi Fort, All of the above is good advice.

The part that the bullies will always be around is true. One time at work a few of us were talking about going to college, the the bully came over and said "Going to college is the dumbest thing I ever heard"

Everyone turned and looked at him like he was nuts. I don't remember what was said in relpy, but it shut him up for a while anyway. this was when we were working at Pizza Hut. soon after he got a good job at a steel mill. They told me he quit that job and came back tp Pizza Hut. I think he couldn't screw off there. or else the mill woirkers were riding him. At another job i had, they hired him, I waited til he seen me,. then I turned my back on him. He didn't come back the next day.

So hang in there