Here's my story...
If you viewed my first three stories, you know by now I hit it big in the Parents Lottery. Coaching with tough love and compassion is encoded in their DNA so not only do I come by it naturally, but I was also the beneficiary of it as their child.
My sophomore year, I earned the opportunity to play on our varsity basketball team. Needless to say, a few of the juniors were not happy. They attempted to intimidate me by making nasty comments in the hallways, leaving unpleasant messages on my locker, and sending 'physical' messages to me on the court.
I was being bullied and it was a painful experience as you can imagine. I wanted to quit; however, my parents wouldn't allow it. And instead of running to school administrators and demanding the school system deal with it, my parents taught me how to properly manage the bullies on my own because as they explained, 'there will always be bullies in your life.'
So how'd they do it?
First, they encouraged me to view and understand the situation from the bully's perspective. They asked...