Everytime I pick up my daughter from school, I have developed this habit of asking her how her day was, what they did, what she ate for lunch, whom played with, who was good at her, who was mean and so on. It has become a ritual, in that, nowadays, she'll be the first to indulge me even before I ask.
This past week, on Tuesday, she narrated how at the playground, one of her friends started teasing her on how she was dressed. The meanie ganged up the other kids who were laughing at my daughter, totally alienated her to the extent whereby they didn't want to play with her. So, she sat down on the bench and cried her heart out. I felt truly sorry for her and mad at the same time because I assumed she was strong enough to take anything anyone dares throw her way. That's when I realised that on this, she took her Papa's side -he cries when watching sad stuff, she cries too, whereas, I don't- wear my heart on the sleeves..
Anyways, I had -and still- do a long chat with her on bullying. I told her what her colleague did was not good and explained how she should react the next time she or any other person is confronted with such a situation. I also reminded her that nobody has got any right to decide how she was going to feel, she could wear a sack of potatoes if it pleases her without giving a damn about how another person was going to perceive her. My mum used to tell us that, we don't go to school to make friends, but to learn. I transmitted the same to my daughter. Of course, the BF is not in agreement with this view.
It is common practice to see kids as young as 3 years old go violent on the others. I've had to talk to her teacher on the matter severally, and finally decided that my daughter won't be turning the other cheek. As brutal as it may sound, I settled on, an eye for an eye, and since then, reports on violence towards her have drastically reduced.
The BF thinks that I'm exagerrating and that I should stop with my hawk-eyes tendency. He tells Peaches that I was traumatised as a kid and that's why I can't help being overtly protective; Funny as it may sound, I would rather it the way it was in my childhood. My dear Mama was the family investigator in her own level. She had her eyes and ears all over the country, depending on where her children were schooling. I can only copy her ways because that's what made us pan out successfully.
Besides, Peaches takes part in other activities besides her school ones, and I told her that's another way of socializing.
As a parent, I took a silent oath to never sit back and watch any form of prejudice being thrown my children's ways, I am their guardian, their protector, I pledge my allegiance to them, if I don't veil on their well being, how will they develop trust in me as their mother, as their parent?
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