I don't think you were being harsh.
When I was a kid there were 2 or 3 neighborhood girls who tormented me all the time, calling me names, etc. No one else in the neighborhood had a pool. Well the day came that my father had a pool built and wouldn't you know all of a sudden I had all kinds of friends. Those girls who tormented me started talking to me. They asked if they could come over and go swimming. I made up excuses why I couldn't go swimming until they finally got the hint. They were definitely not my friends. They continued to try their best to get under my skin or hurt my feelings until we were all in high school....guess they finally grew up.
