Bully battle
Hi Jay-Jay,
My six-year-old daughter is being bullied at school. I’ve spoken to the teachers and they seem to have done nothing about the situation. The kids are being really mean to her and every day she comes home from school crying about what they are saying to her. She doesn’t want to go to school any more. It’s the only school in our area, so it’s not like she can just change schools.
Is it OK as a parent to approach the bully and sort this out myself?
Stressed Mum, via email
Hi Stressed Mum,
I’m sure this situation is relatable to too many parents. It’s painful to see your child hurt and scared, and as a parent, you want to do everything you can to protect them. That’s your duty after all. But approaching the bully is not the right thing to do and it could make things worse.
Have you contacted the bully’s parents? When I had my nephew in my care, we had a knock at the door one day from a dad who told us our boy had said some horrible and hurtful things to his son. My husband and I were mortified.
When our nephew came home, he denied the allegations, but we knew he was lying. After a bit of persuasion, he finally admitted it and agreed to come with us to the boy’s house to apologise to him. It was very awkward for us, but he did say sorry. The boys shook hands, shared popcorn and all was well.
I read this letter on my More FM radio show to see what other parents did in this situation and I have some good advice to pass on.
You’ve asked the school to do something and they haven’t, so now it’s time to demand a meeting with the parents of the bully and the school.
If that doesn’t sort things out, then write a formal letter to the board of trustees, telling them the school isn’t doing anything.
If you don’t get a positive response from them, it’s time to pull out the big guns…. go to the Ministry of Education with your paper trail.
From what I’ve heard, this should definitely get you the outcome you need.
Good luck,
Jay-Jay
A problem shared is a problem halved! Send your sticky issues to Jay-Jay – email [email protected].
