Friendship AND FITTING IN

BY ANNA-LENA HATHAWAY

I used to struggle with making friends and trying to fit in. So I'd always find comfort in talking to adults, especially teachers. In elementary school, that meant I was called the "teacher's pet." At first, I thought it was cool to be a teacher's pet, until I found out that I was being teased for it. People described me as bossy, and sometimes I even used to yell at others to do things.

Then, middle school came along, and I tried to act like other people at school. Sometimes I bought the kinds of clothes that they wore. But trying to be more like someone else didn't help me make friends either. The truth was, I thought I looked chubby and didn't feel good about myself at all.

By eighth grade, I started acting like myself again. A big part of this was that I became part of a national leadership program for young Christian Scientists. Our first trip was to Boston for a national "Discovery Bound" event. While I was there, I decided that I would really be myself, and I met many new people. Everyone was so friendly, and I was having a great time. I went to several discussions about spiritual ideas, and I learned that I could actually pray about making friends.