Warning: Totally random post
not remotely in my usual sarcastic stylings today.
My
apologies if it’s a bit negative. But it’s been on my mind since Friday, and I’m furious. The only thing I can think of to help calm my
anger so that I don’t go all postal about it, is to get on my soapbox, get
ranty, and spew it all forth on here.
So….
It’s
that moment that makes every parent feel sick to their stomach.
Your
child comes to you, hours after getting home from school, bursts into tears
completely out of the blue and says
“Mummy
I was not happy today at school”
My
heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.
You
see, my Miss7 is all kinds of awesome. How some other kids don’t see it
is beyond me.
Perhaps it’s her minor delays and
developmental issues (Global Developmental Delay and Auditory Processing
Disorder) that mean she can have trouble interacting and communicating with
her peers at times.
Not a massive deal, and not to a large degree, but
occasional and mild and slightly troublesome when dealing with 7 year olds who
just don’t have the same patience, tolerance and understanding that adults
have.
It
took all my strength to not bawl for Australia, alongside my precious
girl, as she explained to me why she was so distraught.
She
simply doesn’t understand why another girl (same age, same year, different
classroom), someone she’s never had issue with, never really had anything to
do with at all, would choose to pick on her.
“Mum
why was she mean to me?"
“But
Mum why did she pick on me?"
“Why
did she kick the toilet door, scaring me, kicking while I was trying to go to
the toilet?"
"I only go to the toilet during class time now Mummy, because she
won’t be there”
Heart. Breaking.
Wanting so hard to fight her
battles that she’s just not equipped to fight herself yet.
A
little bit wanting to bitch slap this bully up-side the head, because I know
for a fact that she’s sent other little girls her age into floods of tears on
account of her menacing behaviour, all within 2 weeks of school
starting.
How
does a 7 year old girl even fathom what intimidation is?
What
is their life like, that they have such nastiness built up?
Where
does all that anger come from when the most they should be concerned about in
their little worlds is recess, learning sight words, mastering addition and
subtraction, and maybe a spot of Barbie or Disney princesses and
sports?
Seriously, I want to
know?
I’m
trying to feel empathy for this other girl. I have no clue what her own
world is really like.
I’m
consumed by angst on behalf of my Miss7.
She’s
a tall girl, very tall for her age.
You’d
easily assume she could stand up for herself.
But
she’s the most meek, unsuspecting, naïve and easily hurt kid that I
know.
And I
won’t stand for it.
She
deserves to be a sweet little girl who occasionally gives her mother a smart
mouth from time to time.
Not a
distraught, sobbing mess who doesn’t understand why another girl would make
her feel so bad.
It's taking every ounce of my strength and better judgment to not scream and shout and make a helluva lot of noise about it.
I'm trying hard not to play into her fear. I'm fighting the urge to 'tap in' and handle it for her.
I'm telling myself to trust that the school has got this, and knows how to best deal with it
I
don’t want her to be anything like the bullies, like this other 7 year old
girl who got up in her face and said to her “you shut your mouth, you
understand?”
I
don’t want her to learn that fear and intimidation are powerful and effective.
I
don’t want her to just shut her mouth.