When having a choice is a bad thing

I know this sounds absurd but it’s just an observation I have of my step children in comparison to the childhoods of my generation.

Children these days suffer severe trauma when bullied at school.

I’m not trying to diminish their suffering, not at all, ok? But here’s my question.

Our generation was also bullied. In particular my husband and I knew nothing else our whole childhoods. He, because he was mixed raced in the UK and children from neither race would want to play with him. And I myself came from Germany to Slovenia (back then still part of ‘victorious’ Yugoslavia) and even though my parents were Slovenian and I was actually born in that very same town where I went to school, I was forever “the enemy” just because I came from Germany. For eight loooong years.

It also didn’t help that I was a super nerd. I was always helpful but the kids took my help and then still bullied me.

I won’t say the school system didn’t do a number on me, it did. But funnily enough school wasn’t the worst thing. And even though I felt suicidal, I only thought of death on the way home, not on my way to school. So what? Because home was even worse, I didn’t mind the bullying so much at school? Oh, I did! And yet…