Monday, March 17, 2014

Kids are cruel

It took threats but I finally got Addie to tell me what was wrong when I noticed her sad face as I picked her up from school. She had a bad day at school. The kids in her class we picking on her and she feels sometimes like no one likes her. For a mom this is absolutely the worst thing to deal with. Its so hard because you have no control over what happens to them at school. Sure you can home school. But they don't get normal interactions with other kids in their peer group. And when you grow up and get a real job you have to interact with your co workers/peers. School helps set you up for the real world. If you think kids can be cruel..well so can adults! Even if you home school with a group of moms and they do field trips with other home schooled kids the enviornment is too sheltered. You can't protect your kids from everything. And the more you try to protect them the more you cripple them. Its still hard to know they are having a hard time making friends. And there is no real easy answer. If you talk to the teacher then kids tease when the teacher isn't looking or hate your kid more for telling on them. I don't have all the answers. I am not pretending I have this all figured out. I know I had a hard time in middle school and maybe that's why it hurts so much for me to see her going through this. But I do feel that kids who go through these growing pains are stronger and become more compassionate adults. Have we not all run into the old prom queen/head cheerleader from highschool who still thinks life is a popularity contest? Its sad!! I have no doubt she will grow up and be Beautiful,Smart,Strong and all this drama will have made her better. Yet all I wanted to do is keep her home from school and protect her. I knew that I couldn't do that so I came up with a game plan. I asked her brothers and sister to write 5 things they like about her on paper. Then I asked her grandparents, aunts, and uncle to text her i-pod with their thoughts about her. After dinner I told her to read them. It made her day! She was so happy and didn't realize we all thought so highly of her. I cried and hugged her telling her how sorry I was that she felt no one liked her. But assured her she was a likable girl. Bought her an Oreo blizzard and prayed she would have a better week. I am keeping the letters in a book so when kids are being mean at school she can read them again. I have no choice but to work on her self esteem and confidence at home. Whatever it takes. Cause I bet middle school is going to much harder.

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