This man was moved to tears by apology from bully 20 years after leaving school

To err is human, to forgive divine - especially when the apology is 20 years overdue.

Los Angeles-based designer ChadMichael Morissette was overwhelmed earlier this month to receive a Facebook message from one of the bullies who made his life hell as a teenager in Alaska.

In an about-face, the man explained he’d been talking with his young daughter about bullying and it inspired him to contact his old victim.

Morissette posted screengrabs of the conversation on his Facebook page, adding for context that during junior high and high school he was bullied “for every reason someone is bullied. It was awful.”

The message read:

Hey Chad,

I was recently talking with my 10 year old daughter about bullies. She asked me if I ever bullied anyone and sadly I had to say “yes”. What came to mind is how shitty and mean I was to you when we were in Jr. High. I want to apologize. If we lived in the same state I would apologize to your face. I don’t even know if you remember, but I do and I am sorry.

Morissette replied:

I’m quite moved by this. Thank you and I accept your apology. In 20 years you are the only person to apologize for being a bully to me when were younger. I hope you can proudly tell your daughter that you have also apologized for it, and that we are good, it’s amazing what 20 years and children can do to us, no? thank you again, and i hope you stand up to bullying anytime you see it. have a great day!

Morissette told website Queerty that once he had processed the message and what it meant, it made him cry.

On his Facebook post he wrote that he didn’t remember the man specifically and it made him wonder how many painful memories he’d blocked out. But the ray of hope for any young people struggling with bullying, he added, was that it does get better and better.

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