Reputations - good and bad

I can SO relate to what you're saying here :) I was painfully shy in school too... my teachers used to beg my parents to try to get me to speak up in class. I never would. I was terrified of making a mistake and being laughed at for it. I got stepped on a lot by people -- and, for some reason, I allowed it. After I left high school, I did a complete about face. As I went through my education and into the workplace, I realized that I had something of value to offer and I gained confidence. My shyness had been attached to poor self-esteem, I later realized, and it was mainly linked to how I physically saw myself. Once I shifted my focus to what I could accomplish, I became really outgoing :)

My teachers did the same thing. Conference after conference with my parents trying to come up with ways to get me to open up and participate more. I didn't really have a major change until my children were born and I realized that I was their Voice. I needed to speak up and out for them and then I became their cheerleader. : ) My husband also helped me to see the importance of being me. I also had extremely low self-esteem. My parents are talkers and rarely listened to anything I had to say and actually would cut me off or walk away after asking me a question. I never felt like I had anything of value to say, so I just never said anything. : ) I am thankful that I did not make this same mistake with my own children.

You're so right! We know this one couple who have young-"ish" children... but plenty old enough to speak for themselves. Yet, any time we try to have a conversation with one of their kids, the parents answer us! I have said, on more than one occasion, "Oh thanks... but I was just chatting with "X" here"... you would think they'd get the message but they don't LOL Poor kids are never going to learn to have a proper discussion, I swear.

Oh my gosh! How scary is that, huh? We had one kid from our neighborhood that was always bullying people. It was too bad because all the other kids on our circle got along great. He was just a bit older and a whole lot bigger than the rest of us and he literally threw his weight around. He left home as soon as he possibly could and we heard that, years later, he did go to jail for trying to kill someone ::: shudder ::: I guess some people really do live up to their earlier reputations.

Yeah, I knew he was a bad egg way before he had a rap sheet.... one time he spit at me on the way home from the bus stop. Now really, who does that???