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Sweetie are you almost ready? Why did you bring a Barbie to school?
Yeah, why did you bring a Barbie? Hi my name is Cameron and I'm in second grade.
I have a lot of friends. My mom says I am a natural leader.
I am also ADHD and ODD, which is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional
defiance disorder. I struggle to make good choices sometimes.
My parents, church, cub scouts all help me learn what good choices are. But they can't
always be there. Recently I made the wrong choice.
A boy in class brought a Barbie doll to school for show-and-tell.
I didn't really understand a boy bringing a doll to school, so I thought it was funny.
I told a bunch of friends and I convinced them to come make fun of him with me.
We all circled him and teased him. The teachers stopped us, but it hurt his feelings.
When my mom found out what I had done, I got in big trouble. She explained why that was
a wrong choice. She asked me how I would feel if someone teased
me or if someone was teasing my little brother. I know I wouldn't like it, so it helped me
understand how I made the boy feel. I became ashamed of how I acted, and I felt
bad for the boy. I wrote him a letter to apologize and promise
I would never treat him that way again but I still felt bad.
I asked my mom if I could start an anti-bully club at school. She said it was a wonderful
idea. I knew I needed someone to help me start the
club, so I've asked the boy I hurt. Even though I bullied him, he was able to
get through it and always has a smile. We've formed a friendship now. He's pretty
strong, and I know he will be a perfect partner to start our club.
We may be different, but now I know that's a good thing.
We can bring our differences together to help other kids learn about bullying. It's not
too late to change. It's easier to make friends by accepting others
for who they are. You may be surprised and find a good friend.