's motd Thurs Nov 13, 2008

[Guest guest]

CRYING ON THE INSIDE

Thursday, 13 November 2008

I know what some of you do quite a bit because, truth is, I've done it, too. The story goes something like this...

Being overweight as a child led to my enduring a lot of humiliation. Oh you know how it is. Kids can be so cruel to other kids. And you know what? I think they learn much of that cruelty from their parents. They see their parents making fun of someone and so they think it's okay for them to make fun of others, too.

"Hey, Pig! Hey...porker! Hey, big fat roly-poly!"It's so sad. Those kinds of names were thrown at me almost daily and all day long at school. At first when my classmates began calling me names like that, I was shocked! I mean, no one had ever called me names like that before. But as I gained weight, it only got worse. And I have to tell you, I didn't know quite how to handle the name-calling in the beginning. I would say to myself, "I just can't let their words hurt me!"So when they called me those names, I'd just sing, tell jokes and laugh. And the more they called me names, the more I tried to laugh them off. My reaction really puzzled the other kids. But here's the deal: I never let them see the other side of what their words did to me...on the inside. I never let them see me cry!

Oh, I always had that protective grin on my face when I was at school. But I have to tell you that once I left the schoolyard, I got home and would just sit in my bedroom and cry. As the tears flowed, I'd sit there and ask myself all sorts of questions:Why do they treat me that way? Why did they think it was okay to make fun of me all the time?Now if you were an overweight kid, like me, I'm sure that a lot of you faced those same kinds of feelings when you were younger. But the sad part is that even though you're an adult now, you may still face some of the same kind of negativity you faced when you were a child.Look, there is no need for you to put up with this kind of treatment. In fact, you really should learn to speak up for yourself. If you have family members or friends who feel it's is okay to talk negatively about or make fun of you because of your weight, you do not have to put up with it any longer!Remind those who put you down that you expect the same kind of respect for you that you show them! Just be sure to do it in a polite way.

I've got to tell you this story. I received an E-mail from a lady last week who had just plain-old gotten tired of her husband constantly putting her down. Well, this particular day, he was making fun of her hips and she'd just had enough! So what did she do? Well, she took an empty pot from the stove top and slammed him in the head with it...ouch! He was pretty stunned but he also got the message and eased off on the constant criticisms of his wife.Now look, I don't want you resorting to this kind of retaliation. It's like the old saying goes, "two wrongs don't make a right." Take the more peaceful approach but let those persons making fun of you know that you will not tolerate being mistreated because of your weight. No more! It just makes no sense and it's so unfair!So no more crying on the inside for you! Be strong on the inside and on the outside. Stand up for yourself and never allow anyone to treat you less than the special and wonderful person you are.Love,