Ask Sam

Hi there,

Thanks for writing to me and telling me about the situation with your best friend. While you describe her as your best friend, it sounds like she’s also been bullying you by being horrible and spreading rumors about you. This isn’t something that’s OK for her to do and it sounds especially difficult for you to be experiencing this from someone who you consider to be such a good friend.

In your email, you asked me what you should do. It seems like you’re finding it tough to stand up to her, which is understandable – it can be really difficult to stand up to bullies. I’m wondering if you’ve told anyone about what’s happening? It seems like there are adults who know about how your friend has been behaving, but I’m wondering if they know how much it’s been affecting you? It’s a really good idea to talk to a teacher or trusted adult about bullying. Your school has a duty to try to stop bullying and to keep you safe at school. No-one has the right to bully you. Here’s a website with some information about bullying that might be helpful.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever used the message boards on the ChildLine website, but it can be a great space to get support and talk to other young people going through the same sort of experience. The Bullying section of the message boards especially may provide you with support.

Don’t forget that you can always talk to a counsellor at ChildLine about whatever you’re thinking or feeling. It might be that talking things through could help you to build your confidence to tell someone how things are for you. If you feel like you’d like to get some support, you can call 0800 1111 or chat online in a 1-2-1 chat through the website. 

Take care,

Sam