If you are carrying pain caused by someone you cannot bring yourself to forgive, this is for you.

I recently found myself reflecting deeply on forgiveness while reading You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. Her words stirred memories of my own struggles with forgiving people who had hurt me in ways that changed how I moved through the world.

I do not believe there is a single person who has lived without experiencing emotional pain. The impact of that pain varies, but some wounds run so deep that they shape how we trust, how we love, and how we protect ourselves.

For me, betrayal created walls. I would trust people only partway, maybe 80 or 90 percent, but never fully. At the time, I told myself I was being cautious. In reality, I was afraid.

What Forgiveness Is Not

Many people resist forgiveness because it is misunderstood.

Forgiveness does not mean:

• Saying what happened was acceptable
• Allowing someone back into your life
• Giving permission for the behavior to continue
• Forgettin...

What did you believe about bullies when you were growing up?

I will be honest. Before I began researching bullying deeply, I believed that kids who bullied others were simply not being parented well.

I know. Judgy.

I assumed they were mirroring behavior they saw at home or copying an older sibling or family member. I thought bullies were just “bad kids” who enjoyed making others miserable.

And no one ever challenged that belief.
No one ever talked to me about bullying or the kids behind the behavior.

What I have learned since then completely changed my perspective.

Bullies Are Still Kids Who Are Learning

The truth is this.
Children who bully are still children.

They are not defined by their behavior. They are often kids who have not yet learned how to manage big emotions, navigate stress, or cope with hurt in healthy ways.

That does not excuse the behavior.
But it does change how we respond to it.

Not all children bully for the same reasons. Some act out because they are overwhe...