I am so excited to say that I have been fortunate enough to be interviewed by Martine Oglethorpe from the blog, “The Modern Parent”, about our experiences with bullying. You can find it at http://themodernparent.net/how-this-family-overcame-bullying/
A close friend of mine, told me that her son had been taken out of class to meet with the school counsellor, without her knowledge. Her son had been retaliating lately, to other children hurting him physically and verbally. He is a beautiful boy, who is very often misunderstood. He beats to his own drum and has a wonderful, creative imagination that thinks outside the box, on a wavelength not explored by the average child. He is artistic, sensitive, fun and one of the best climbers I have ever seen in my life! Move over spiderman! He doesn’t fit in with the “norm”, and why should he? (more…)
Last night at my son’s high school, we had a “Mother/Son Night”. It was beautiful. It was all about reconnecting with our sons as they make the transition from primary school to high school. I looked around the room and saw how the speakers’ words provoked all sorts of emotions in the faces of the mums around me, who were feeling exactly the same as me. I had come to realise that this is a time of wanting to hold on so tight, but knowing that we have to start letting go, just a little bit, as our boys start to grow up into fine young men.
The kids had to bring something that would remind their mum about their childhood, but were not allowed to tell us what it was. So, my boy secretly went upstairs, hunted around until he found what it was he was looking for, and smuggled it into his backpack. Read more…
There are many different forms of bullying. Generally, bullying can be grouped into the following categories:
Whatever the type of bullying, it is wrong. Bullying involves hurtful behaviour which is repeated over again. It can happen anywhere, anytime, and the consequences can be devastating. Read more…
“Car Park Mafia…”
A few years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about the “Car Park Mafia”. If I hadn’t experienced it and seen it for myself, I would have laughed and thought,”Yeah right, how can that exist?” Instead, I grabbed the newspaper with enthusiasm and eagerly read the article, which spilled the ugly truth about this crazy epidemic sweeping through our schools at lightning speed. Read more…
“Women Behaving Badly…”
I grew up always seeing the good in everyone. Everyone was wonderful in my eyes. I was always worried about hurting someone else’s feelings. Why would someone want to hurt someone else on purpose, I thought, that’s insane! My husband, who is way more streetwise than me, reminded me often, “Be careful, not everyone thinks like you!” Yeah right, I thought, what a sad way to look at life. But he was right. It wasn’t until I was in my mid 30s that my perception of human nature changed forever. Read more…
“Pick on Somebody Your Own Size…”
A few years ago when my daughter was 4 years old and in kinder, I was putting her to bed one night. She looked at me with her beautiful big brown eyes, graced with long, thick, dark eyelashes that look like butterfly wings and said, “Mummy, I’m not beautiful because I’m not tall!” She then started to cry. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt the sudden need to scoop her up with both arms, wrap her up in cotton wool, and protect her forever from this big, sometimes horrible world. Here we go I thought, I knew this would happen. Read more…
“The Up Side of Bullying… If there is one”.
Have you ever sat back and thought about the challenges that our kids face in everyday life? Why are they so different to those we faced when we were growing up? Or are they? Read more…
I started this blog after I met with a friend of mine, who shared with me her gut wrenching experience. Her daughter had been the victim of bullying for a number of years, and had tried to harm herself, twice. It broke my heart to see my beautiful friend and her beautiful girl suffer such pain, just because of someone else’s hate. Bullying has to stop. It is an evil epidemic with tragic consequences. My friend was smart enough to seek professional help, as you should when a situation like this escalates to such a point of despair and desperation. But what if we could do something before it gets to this point? Read more…
Bullying is an issue I feel very strongly about. My personal experiences have led me to devote a page just on this topic (please see pages bar above). I hope it adds value to someone’s life…