To the editor:

I read with great sadness the story of Phoebe Prince, the Massachusetts teen who hanged herself after being subjected to a torrent of cruel bullying. It dredged up my own memories of being bullied as a youth. I like to think that bullying made me a better person. I befriend the friendless. I stick up for people who are being picked on. I taught my daughter to treat everyone with kindness, and she is a beautiful person.

No one should tolerate bullying. It makes me sad to know that there are people who can be so cruel. How can we make it stop? I think more parental involvement in their kids’ lives. Teaching kids, by example and by word, that kindness and good moral values are important.

When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about different ways to kill myself. I decided to walk onto a railroad track when a train was coming. I didn’t go through with it because of the kindness of a teacher and my parents.