We fled from yobs' terror
SHARON Lawrence today backed the new bullying helpline - for a very
good reason.
She and her teenage son were once driven from their home after a
gang of bullies turned their lives into a nightmare. Mrs Lawrence,
originally from Kensington, Liverpool, says people must make the
most of the Bully Busters to help them escape the misery of
bullying.
She spent a year fighting for her son, but still could not keep the
bullies away. Her 13-year-old was plagued mercilessly by the gang,
who made his existence a living torment. Bully Busters is now there
for people like Sharon and her bullied son.
All the region's education authorities - and police where necessary
- are geared up to react to information from the confidential and
free helpline.
Mrs Lawrence's son's bullying began when he was picked on by a
group of teenagers, both at school and in the community. It
developed into a terrifying campaign with groups sometimes
gathering outside their home and threatening them.
Mrs Lawrence could only see one option. She ran, leaving the family
home for a fractured existence in a hostel for the homeless.
Now she is settled in a new home with her two sons, whose names she
prefers to keep secret, but the scars of her battle remain and many
have been slow to heal.
She said: "I would protect him with my life if I had to - that goes
without saying.
"But if he had been attacked by a gang in the park, what would I
have been able to do?
"There's no way I would have been able to help him physically. But
I have helped him mentally, I have helped him become stronger."
Mrs Lawrence and her son went to school to try to tackle a problem
which went far beyond the playground. As the pair walked through
the gates, they were confronted by the gang. With pain, fear, shame
and anger boiling within her, Mrs Lawrence did something she is not
proud of.
"I told one of them I would kill him," she said.
"I was so ashamed that a gang of kids could tear your life apart
like that. But the police couldn't do anything, so what else could
I do?
"They couldn't act until my son was seriously hurt and there was no
way I was going to wait for that to happen."
The incident at the school gates was followed by gangs of lads
hanging around the family home, targeting Mrs Lawrence and her
family. She was isolated, frustrated and angry. But most of all,
she was afraid - for her son and the harm he could come to. From
fear followed shame and a vicious circle began, which inevitably
descended into a deep depression.
"The only thing I could do was leave. My family went through 12
months of sheer hell. "We were put through the mill and sometimes I
thought we might never come out of the other end.
"It has made me ill and the stress on me and my kids has been
unbearable."
During her 12 months of turmoil, Mrs Lawrence was desperately
searching for answers. She believes Bully Busters would have been
exactly what she was looking for.
"There didn't seem to be any support for me. A helpline would have
been brilliant. I need pointing in the right direction instead of
trying to do everything myself. Nobody seemed to know what to do.
Everything seemed to be in London. They gave me advice, but what
did they know? I needed someone up here."
Fortunately, this is a sad story with a happy ending. Mrs Lawrence
is now settled again with her family around her. And she passed a
message of strength to other parents enduring the misery that only
bullying can cause.
"Just keep on fighting. Stick together and you'll make it out
through the other end. Not everything in my life is perfect, but
I'm getting there, we're getting there."
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