Ask Sam

Hi there,

Thanks for your message. I can hear that your friends have changed how they act around you and that sounds really difficult. I’m glad that you had the courage to tell a teacher what’s been happening, even though you didn’t get the response that you might have wanted. Being teased or called names is considered bullying and your school has a responsibility to stop this from happening.

It sounds like you’ve been thinking about who you are as a person, and that you’ve started expressing that more in the way your dress. Figuring out what you believe in, what sort of person you are and what makes you unique is a really important part of growing as a person. It is something everyone does in different ways and at different speeds. Perhaps your friends aren’t at the same stage as you at the moment, and that’s one of the things causing you to grow apart. It might be that you find you don’t have much in common with this group of friends any more, or it might be that you get closer again in the future. Either way, it is not OK for them to be saying things that upset you, and that needs to stop.

Perhaps you could think about speaking to a different teacher in your school about the bullying. If you let school know that the bullying is still happening they will have a better idea of what is going on for you right now and perhaps offer some more support.

It’s important that you have someone to share how you are feeling with. Perhaps you could think about talking to someone at home or another family member that could give you some more advice.

There is a lot of really useful information in Explore if you want to read more about Bullying and Friendships. You could also look at our message boards to read what other young people are saying about their own experiences.

If you would like to speak to a counsellor at Childline about this you can call the helpline on 0800 1111, send an email or log on for a 1-2-1 chat.  Remember you don’t have to go through this alone.

I hope this helps.

Take care,

Sam