“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.” ~Harvey S. Firestone
Hi Everyone,
It hurts twice – once for her and once for me. My soft hearted daughter has been struggling at school with her peers. Tidbits throughout the day include someone refusing her a spot at the lunch table, her hearing that a friend hates her, and a girl squeezing her precious cheeks and making comments that do not make her feel so good. She is nine. We call her angel. One day she told me that she must not be an angel because ‘angels could not hurt this much’.
Biting my tongue when listening to her stories, I tried to instill a sense of empathy and a good dose of self-confidence in my girl each day before she went to school. At the end of each day, she continued to meet me with sobs and an untouched lunch. Well – I advocate without hesitation for the children of the world...it was due time to advocate for my child. I called a mother to start a conversation about our girls and the troubles at school. Didn’t go well and soon I realized how my daughter must feel every time she has to face these peers.
Listen. Listen. Be the one who hears your child’s tears. Know when the issue is above you – when you run out of the words to say and hugs are just not making it better. Connect your child with the school’s child and youth worker to address peer relationships and self esteem. Do not hesitate to talk to the teacher, principal, recess supervisors, and the lady who monitors the lunch room. They are partnering with you in your child’s well being. There should be no stigma about accessing help. Parenting must be ego-less. Change starts from within.
This is Education.com’s top ten actions you can take to help address bullying:
- Talk with and listen to your kids - everyday.
- Spend time at school and recess.
- Be a good example of kindness and leadership.
- Learn the signs.
- Create healthy anti-bullying habits early.
- Help your child’s school address bullying effectively.
- Establish household rules about bullying.
- Teach your child how to be a good witness.
- Teach your child about cyber-bullying.
- Spread the word that bullying should not be a normal part of childhood.
To read the entire article, follow this link: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Ten_Actions_Parents/
After a tough day, we read stories in her bed for two hours and ended the night in fits of giggles. Oh that precious laugh and freckled nose that wrinkles when she is truly happy. This week, we are dressing up and going to a musical at the fine arts high school that she wants to attend someday. We are looking forward. One thing I know for sure - what I can control is me. I pledge to re-engage in my child’s life. I consider myself a tuned in mom, yet there needs to be more snuggles just because, more spontaneous jive-dances just because, and more being together – just because. As my baby grows into a young lady, let it be that she will arise from this experience to shine her light and to be a voice for others in need. When I kissed her goodnight, we reignited our old routine:
Her: What’s on my face? ...
Me: A bunch of beautiful
Me: Out of all the little girls in the whole world...
Her: You got the best one
The next International STAND UP to Bullying Day is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 27th, 2009. Wear pink to stand up!
Read The Pink Story at: http://www.standupday.com/08/participants/index.php?target=pages&page_id=whypink
If a school district in your area needs Speech-Language Pathologists, please let me know by email as we at TinyEYE can help!
Marnee Brick, MSc
Speech-Language Pathologist and Director of Speech Therapy
TinyEYE Therapy Services (Speech Therapy Telepractice)
http://www.TinyEYE.com-Online Speech Therapy Telepractice
