F\*cking friends... This was a long time ago... Rap was really just getting popular. When I had my fluency blocks, I would say "um, um, um" for the longest time. I was able to use a "cheater" word to avoid the blocks for a while. I would add the word "the" into my speech to try to avoid the block. But, as many of us have experienced, those tricks sometimes become part of our stutter. What resulted were speech blocks of "um, um, um" and "the um, the um." My friends made a rap. The "the um" rap. I hated them for that. Part of it is age. 11 to 15 year-olds have some of the worst behavior in their social groups. Not all young people that age, but there are some real sh\*ts among that age group. It gets progressively better as people mature. Go ahead and cry. Let it out. There's no shame in feeling hurt. Nor is there shame in your stutter. It's a disability. You face challenges with your stutter that other people just don't understand. It never occurs to your friends how challenging it is just to introduce yourself. You're perfectly human. Never think otherwise. If I may, a few pieces of advice: Don't let your stuttering make decisions for you. That leads to regret. Hold your head up. You got through yesterday. You'll get through today. And tomorrow. Stuttering changes over time for most of us. Stuttering can get worse over time. It can also get better. Sometimes it takes help and work to get better. Speaking of help... You're not alone. Stuttering can be isolating for us. It makes us feel alone. Isolation is not healthy. It feeds a vicious cycle with stuttering. Come talk to us. Make conversation with others. Put yourself out there. None of this is easy. Please don't infer that I am suggesting *any* of this is easy. It's hard. But if you face it, it can get easier. F\*ck shame. You have nothing to be ashamed of. When you start feeling shame, stop yourself right there. What are you ashamed of? That you developed a stutter? How is that your fault? Focus on the fact that you don't let your stutter dictate your life. Turn what was shame into pride. Be proud that you are doing better today than you did yesterday. You got this. And we got you. And I hope you have others in your life as well.