EP 2 🎧 A Bully Tried to Define Me. My Mom Refused to Let Him.

Back in the '80s, bullying wasn’t a buzzword.It was just... childhood.No hashtags. No school assemblies. No adults asking questions.And for seven relentless years, I was his target.I was tall. Big. Loud. An Amazon child in a sea of Barbie dolls.He was mean. Clever. Committed.He turned school into a war zone.Every bus ride.Every hallway.Every insult—fired like clockwork.And just when I thought I had fought back hard enough to make it stop?He leveled up—with help from his dad.But this isn’t a story about the bully.This is a story about my mom.Because one night, after years of stuffing down the shame and believing every word he said, I finally cracked open and told her:“I’m worthless. I’ll never be anything. Because I’m fat.”She didn’t flinch.She looked me straight in the eye and said:“It’s not true.”Then she told me my story.How I wasn’t supposed to exist.How doctors told her she’d never have a child.How I came into this world two weeks late, 10 pounds 4 ounces of pure defiance.“You are a miracle,” she said.“You are here on purpose. That boy is wrong.”And just like that, she handed me a shield.One I’d carry for life.He didn’t stop bullying me. But I stopped believing him.Every insult was met with a quiet inner echo:I am a miracle. I am worthy. I matter.Years later, I found his Facebook.You’ll never guess who he married.(Okay, maybe you will. And yes, it’s wildly ironic.)💫 This story is for anyone who’s ever felt too big, too small, too different, or too broken to belong.🛡️ It’s for the daughters who carry their mother’s truth when the world tries to rewrite them.🩷 And it’s for you—if you’ve ever needed one sentence to change your whole trajectory.Because bullies don’t get to define us.Love does.✨ Two new Soul Talks drop weekly—in written, animated, and podcast form.🌀 No coincidence you’re here. This story was waiting for you.One conversation changed my life.Maybe this one will change yours too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heathercriswell.substack.com