Dad Has To Tell His Daughter He Was A Bully At School, Feels So Bad He Apologizes To His Victim 20 Years Later

Most of us have either been the victims of bullies at school or have even been in the shoes of bullies at some point in our lives. Whether you were a bully or a victim, it’s hard to forget what happened, no matter how many years go by.

That’s the moral of one heart-warming story which showed that apologies for having bullied someone really do matter. Even if it takes 20 years to genuinely say ‘sorry.’

When Louie Amundson’s 10-year-old daughter asked him if he’d ever bullied someone in school, he reluctantly said ‘yes.’ This prompted him to get in contact with Chad Morrisette, the person he teased and was mean to back in junior high school. Chad accepted the apology and both he and Louie felt miles better than before, as though a heavy emotional weight were lifted off both their shoulders.

Stories like this one really help restore (at least part of) your faith in humanity. What’s more, it shows that an apology is important and has the power to start the healing process.

The fact of the matter is, bullying is a complex issue and can’t be solved simply by telling victims to ‘stand up for themselves’ and telling the bullies to ‘stop what they’re doing.’ It’s an issue that requires a lot of hands-on help and understanding that the bullies themselves might be lashing out because of serious problems at school, at home, as well as in their personal lives.

According to ‘Ditch the Label,’ which interviewed 8,850 people, around half of them admitted to having been bullied before their 20th birthday. Meanwhile, 14 percent admitted to having been bullies themselves.

Data shows that bullies are more likely than average to have been victims of stressful and traumatic situations, for example, one of their relatives dying or their parents getting divorced.

It’s up to each and everyone one of us whether we release stress in positive ways (such as exercising or meditating) or in negative ways (such as bullying, smoking, abusing alcohol and drugs).

Bullies also often have low self-esteem, have been victims of other bullies themselves in the past, lack parental guidance at home, or don’t have a firm foundation in their lives.