Knowing that your child is getting picked on can be terrifying, especially if they are left defenceless against older bullies.
This was what local entrepreneur Cheryl Wee said had happened to her five-year-old son Marc, taking to Instagram over the weekend to share how her son has been encountering bullies at his tennis lessons.
The 36-year-old former actress and her husband Roy Fong are parents to three kids — firstborn son Marc and daughters Emma and Elly.
“Marc came home from tennis recently and told Roy that two older boys (probably eight to 10 years old) told him that they wanted to tape him to the tennis fence and tape his mouth,” wrote Cheryl on her Instagram Stories.
She recounted how she and Marc were in a lift with the same boy and his mother a few weeks prior. The boy had seen Marc and apparently remarked that he didn’t want to “play” with him and that he “didn’t like” him.
According to Cheryl, the boy’s mother didn’t say a word.
The Jean Yip heiress also mentioned how she saw the boy teasing Marc for having “baby sisters” last week and behaved arrogantly when confronted by her.
“I understand bullying and mean talk [are] all part and parcel of growing [up]. And we can’t be there 24/7 with our kids. Nor can we stop others from being how they are or how they’re raised.
“But we’re also teaching Marc and Emma how to stand up for themselves,” continued Cheryl, adding a question sticker on her Instagram Story for followers to comment how they would teach their children to “deal with bullying“.
She later revealed that she was bullied in the past and so knows what it’s like to “be on the receiving end” of it. Back then, her older sister Rachel stood up for her.
“My parents raised us to be independent and to learn to fend for ourselves and each other. Similarly, this is how we’ve raised our kids. To treat everyone with kindness, and help those in need or weaker than you. But step on my toes and I won’t be polite,” asserted Cheryl.
‘We don’t condone violence’
Cheryl posted another series of Instagram Stories on Monday (July 3) to explain how she plans to help her kids defend themselves against bullies.
In response to someone saying that a bully’s words “means nothing” and how “we need to be brave” to stand up for ourselves against such people, Cheryl said: “We don’t condone violence at home and constantly remind them (her children) and show them we need to be compassionate to others. Especially those younger and more vulnerable.
“But if anyone bullies them, we teach them to say very firmly ‘Stop doing that, I don’t like it’ then tell an adult, teacher, coach and us.”
She added that she and Roy plan to send their kids for self-defence classes should anyone “try to hurt them”.
“Unfortunately bullies need to be stood up against, and know they can’t go around bullying people. We don’t go around bullying people, but ‘Don’t mess with us’ is what we teach them too,” concluded Cheryl.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.