4.) Describe a time you saw someone getting picked on.
I was friends with Esther…which means nothing to you, unless you happened to know her. Esther was the LEAST popular girl in the third grade class. She wore long flowery dresses to school ala Laura Ingalls Wilder and pulled her hair up in braided buns everyday.
She was nice and I was intrigued by her. I LOVED Laura Ingalls Wilder…but Esther picked her nose and was teased relentlessly for it. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why she would ever pick her nose out there in the open for everyone to see. Had anyone really SEEN her pick her nose in the first place or was it her long flowery dresses and braided buns they hated so much?
Sometimes there would be a line of people waiting outside the building…no one daring to open the door after Esther had touched it. I seized those moments to act better than everyone else and stormed through the door, “You guys are SO immature!”
I somehow managed to be friends with Esther without suffering any repercussions. I don’t know why, but people were not mean to me for associating with her.
Then one day I was sitting next to Rachelle. She was popular and adorable, had beautiful handwriting, and laughed every time someone was mean to Esther. We were working side by side and when I quickly turned to ask her a question I noticed a giant booger on the end of her nicely manicured fingernails.
GASP is right!
Rachelle picked her nose TOO! This was ground breaking and shocking and SO disturbing. How could she join in the bullying of Esther for being a nose picker when she herself picked her own nose!?!
I turned away fast not wanting to embarrass Rachelle, that was the very moment I learned the all important life lesson:
People who pick their noses pick on other nose pickers to divert others from seeing them pick their own nose.
Poor Esther was nothing but a scapegoat.
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) Return to work after baby was born or stay home? How did you make your decision?
2.) Write a poem about inspired by the word: Storm
3.) You know the stories that are retold a million times at family gatherings? I call them Life Stories that you just never live down. List your Top 10 Life Stories.
4.) Describe a time you saw someone getting picked on.
5.) Write about one of your childhood heroes.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Boy that was a tongue twister there!!
You are absolutely right. We tend to notice our own bad habits in others and ridicule them because it draws the attention from us.
And ew to the nose pickers. LOL.
My mama always said “You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.”
My Esther also picks her nose.
Haha, my daughter caught me picking my nose one day and now, everytime she gets upset, she jams her finger up there. I hope she won’t do it once she’s in school. You don’t even want to know how many times in a day I hear her dad say “Pick me a winner!” and “Hold on while I call Gold Rush!” LOL
Interestingly, my 8-year old son has one girl in his class who is a noted nose-picker, and her name is…drumroll…Esther. I swear! She does not, however, look like Laura Ingalls.
That’s effing awesome. Great story with a great lesson to be learned lol!
Those life lessons can be tricky… and you were just in third grade? Wow!
I apologize for entering my link twice. It told me it hadn’t worked, so I tried again. Feel free to remove #10!
What a great story! Even though it made me a little queasy… I remember a kid in 4th grade who picked his nose–and then put his finger in his MOUTH. GROSS GROSS GROSS. Good for you for being friends with Esther!
When you’re a scapegoat, it’s very difficult to get your little hoofie up your nostril, but it CAN be done.
The poor kid that I picked on in 4th grade, who I now think, in retrospect, probably had Asperger’s, was a dedicated nosepicker.
Sadly, he, too, did it in public, like Esther, and we would sit and watch him in horror and amazement. This may have been the point of origin for the phrase “shock and awe”.
If you read my post, you’ll see I had other bodily functions that got me into trouble. So, I think it was very nice of you to take up for Esther.
oh poor esther! boogers on manicured fingernails….doesn’t seem right! xx
Makes me think of the Seinfeld episode. I was “Just” scratching…
Dana
I feel a little nauseous now at the thought of that slimy booger on the manicured nails.
But kudos to you for being friends with Esther AND not ratting out Rachelle!
My husband and I give each other crap about picking noses when it does happen…and being a teacher I see it all the time!
Great story!!
Goes to show you… those who pick their noses should not point fingers at other nose pickers because there just might be a huge booger on the end of the pointing finger!
Sadly though, those who are bullies were most likely bullied themselves so it’s the trickle down effect. They bully so as NOT to be bullied!
Great story and life lesson!
Everybody picks their noses. Kids are so judgey. Also? Everybody tasted the paste after “John” got caught eating it.
i was so ungirly yet i ALWAYS loved Little House on the Prairie and their style!! ;D
SO true….funny but SO true. When someone is “picking” on someone for something it is OFTEN becuase they are scapgoating!
Good for you for standing up to those bullies…I also befriended “unpopular” kids and never “suffered” and I hope my kids learn the lesson of being kind to everyone… :)
Very insightful as to why people pick on others. BTW I saw Joe Biden pick his nose during the presidents speech this week–so the problem goes right to the top.
There are nose pickers all around us. Good for you for being such a good friend and hopefully knowing to wash your hands very well. ;-)
I totally believe that. I got picked on for picking my nose in 6th grade :(
There was a girl like that when I went to high school. I clearly remember 10th grade because we had a class together and I was able to witness the humiliation she endured. Sadly, a few years after high school, she died. She apparently had cancer of some sort. It made me mad to think about those people who made fun of her and wondered if they felt bad.
Good for you for being her friend. You never know what that did for her.
Wow! That is a lot for a 3rd grader to take in, but hopefully made an impression and gave you wisdom for the even meaner years yet to come.
Sometimes it just itches you can’t help it, but I do try not to do it in public. Poor girl.
Im surprised you didnt write about Ellens birthday today!!!
I know that misdirection can be used effectively in magic, like when pulling a rabbit out of a hat…but for boogers out of a nose? Who knew?
I do believe this post has the makings of and After School Special. I will alert Lifetime.
Isn’t it sad how hard we can make it on each other? I am so glad that you were strong enough to take a stand. I think we all need a friend, and most kids are so guilty of picking their noses!!!
Seriously, Kat, you did an AWESOME job with this post. You even wove in a play on words – “picking” on someone who “picks” their nose. Ingenious!! I hurt for Esther just reading it. And something tells me Rachelle may be getting a nose JOB now having not been able to accept herself way back in the 3rd grade. Why don’t I stop now before I go all psychobabble on ya? :-)
Kids can be so mean!
Oh, what a brilliant realization to come to so young!
first time linking up thanks for having me
Poor martha
I remember walking home from school as a high-schooler, and I saw a 6-year-old getting picked on by a bunch of kids. I actually did something about it – I walked up and stopped it from continuing. Don’t know if that kid still remembers me …
Back in elementary school, there was a girl who was known for not only picking her nose, but eating her boogers. I never saw her actually do it. We had a couple of classes together, but we were just never friends. One time, I was playing on the swings next to her and decided to be nice and talked to her… then I realized the girl was kinda weird. But I remember feeling proud for at least trying to get to know her :)