As much as we’d like to ignore it but bullying is very much a part of the schooling experience. It can exist in many forms including physical, verbal, emotional, and psychological. There’s also cyber-bullying which is another major threat that flows over the screen and into your child’s life.
Despite the awareness about the long-term adverse effects – particularly stress and anxiety – we still get to hear about gut-wrenching bullying stories in school.
It’s even more harrowing when this happens in a preschool. This is the case with one mum’s four-year-old who is the victim of bullying in her preschool.
What Happened…
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In a post, the user shared her daughter’s bullying experience. She wrote, “My four-year-old daughter is enrolled in preschool and she’s been targeted by another 4-year-old boy at school who continued to put his hands on her.
My husband and I initially brushed it off in the beginning until we noticed a pattern and she kept repeating every other day that Frankie pushed her. We spoke to the teacher and she kind of sugar-coated the situation explaining that the boy has issues with his hands but they are monitoring the situation.”
The Bullying Hasn’t Stopped For Nearly Six Months…
The mum explains, “It’s been close to six months now and she still comes home with a new story and a situation about the boy being mean and pushing/hitting and being mean to her. She’s at the point that she doesn’t want to go anymore and struggles some mornings until she’s there.”
The new director messaged me explaining that they haven’t seen any changes in my daughter’s behaviour while at school and that they are handling the situation appropriately bla bla bla…”
My husband has already spoken to them several times and has already warned them at this point she has the green light to defend herself. I obviously told him absolutely not but that’s his little princess so IDK what to do anymore. I asked if they had spoken to parents about the issue and they wouldn’t share any info with me and gave me some half-ass response that they’re “taking the proper steps.”
The School Is Hiding More Than Just The Bullying
The mum says, “I also find it odd that every time I pick her up they won’t tell me about her day but will sort of manipulate my daughter and say “Cassidy we had such a great day didn’t we”? So she is kinda forced to say “yea”…
I like the preschool because she’s learned a ton and she’s enrolled in gymnastics and swimming classes while there, and it’s extremely difficult to find a preschool that includes this in the tuition. What should I do?”
Six months is a long-time to deal with bullying. The school hasn’t been responsive enough to make the girl feel safe. The mum also shared that her little one is shy at school. This, despite being raised with an 11-year-old brother.
In a follow-up post, the mum wrote, “The teacher has comforted her and told her to always say something if she’s being hurt. The teacher is also trying to “convince” us that they’re getting along great by sending pictures of them supposedly playing together and what not but it’s just really weird.”
What Do The Netizens Say?
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Other users on Reddit were quick to lend support to the mum. They also shared different ways to deal with this situation.
One user wrote, “We used this technique with our tiny daughter. She was getting pushed around by the larger kids. They weren’t bullying her necessarily. They were all just a lot bigger so she’d get trampled in the rush to the door. So we practised shouting STOP IT and stomping her foot. We also practised using her elbows to defend her personal space.
Worked a bit too well. Because at the next conference the teacher informed me that, while she wasn’t getting knocked around anymore, she was now elbowing her way to the front of every line. So, we had to dial it back a bit.”
Another user commented, “Is Frankie only pushing your daughter or all of the kids? If all of the kids, recruit other parents to your cause. In any case, tell your daughter that she does not need to be polite or nice. If Frankie comes near her, scream “no!” as loud as she can and find a teacher.
We had to do this with our kid. A peer was cornering him on the playground and pushing him down. But he screamed the second the other kid started to approach him. It got the adults’ attention so they could witness and/or intervene.”
Parents Share Their Personal Bullying Stories And Offer Advice
Some parents also shared their own bullying stories in school.
A user wrote, “My very first day of first grade, this boy on the bus was repeatedly picking on my best friend by hitting her and pulling her hair. She didn’t have self-confidence so I stood up for her and told him to stop. When he didn’t, I told him that I would hit him back if he didn’t stop it. When he hit her and pulled her hair again, I hit him as hard as I could in the face. My parents got called to the school as I was in the principal’s office before my first day of 1st grade even started.
They were proud of me. The principal told them that the 4th grader that was picking on my friend had always been a bully. But that I couldn’t continue to beat up kids on the bus (fair). The bully never touched another girl on the bus in my presence. I wish your daughter well, but I’m with your husband on this one.”
One thing this education system can do less of is bullying stories in school.
Apart from the efforts of the parents, teachers and the school staff need to be vigilant about such incidents and take strict action when necessary.
There are several factors that contribute to a child becoming a bully. And more often, he/she needs attention and therapy. Schools need to actively work on such programs to avoid more such cases from a young age.
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