As the years drag on, in "his mother's home" Dave has become a strong child who no longer cares about any physical or emotional harm that could come to him. Ironically, this physical abuse has made him stronger. As he approaches age 12, he has become immune to all the hurtful slurs of not only his mom, but now his peers. On a school field trip, the students visit a boat and take a trip through San Francisco's waters. One girls approaches Dave as he stares down the water as tell him she knows all about his story and things would be better is he just jumped. Although he did not commit this horrible act, he begins to process the idea of suicide and how he would be better off dead. Just thinking about how a mother and primary school children, the people who you go to find comfort in and go to when you are down, could cause such stress for a child that they begin to think about suicide just breaks my heart.
We form our judgement about a person based on their appearance, beliefs, and attitude. And in this modern world, social media allows a place for bullies to easily target weak victims. Just like the mother and bullies in Dave Pelzer's autobiography, these people hide behind a curtain and find the most vulnerable people and take all their anger out on them.It is true that there are those who have a thick shell and can "take a joke" but there are also those who deal with their own set of problems and are sensitive to certain references towards them. As humans with emotions, hopes and dreams we must (I know its cliche) learn to treat others the way we want to be treated. We should be building the character of this world up, not tearing it down. Dave Pelzer's seemed like another ordinary kid, but behind every face there is a story you have absolutely nothing about. We need to treat everyone with kindness. I challenge you to pay forward one kind act this week to a complete stranger. Whether it is something as small as asking someone how their day is going, or going the extra mile and finding someone who usually sits alone during lunch and spending your 30 minute break with them, it will make a difference to them. I promise.