“Being a good person doesn’t mean being a doormat… You can be kind, giving, and full of love, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept disrespect or allow your boundaries to be crossed.” ~Unknown I can still vividly remember sitting in my seventh-grade classroom, forcing a laugh as my classmates made jokes at my expense.
My cheeks would burn red, but I’d smile along, desperately wanting to belong. For years, I mistook my silence for kindness, my nervous laughter for good nature.
I didn’t realize that by laughing at myself, I was slowly chipping away at my own self-worth. Growing up, I was the “nice kid”—the one who never caused trouble, never talked back, and always tried to keep the peace.
When someone would make a cutting remark about my appearance or mock the way I spoke, I’d respond with a practiced smile and a halfhearted chuckle.
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