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Picture this - The girls and I were at a park last week with two of my friends and their children. E was running around, going down the slides, just being a kid. Two girls showed up that were probably about 5-6 years old (E is 4). She began trying to get their attention, playing near them, asking what their names were. I was so proud of her for going out of her way to play with other girls - she is usually so shy around new people! So I went back to talking to my friends.
When I looked back over, maybe one minute later, I see E laying on her stomach with her head down and her hands over her head. I then see one of the girls keep getting close to her, whispering something in her ear. Then the two girls would laugh and run away. This happened about five times - the whole time I was straining to hear what was being said. When it didn't stop, I casually walked over to ask what they were playing. (Still trying to look on the bright side, maybe it was a game?!) When I walked up, I heard the girl say "You are dog poo!" To my daughter, who is four!!
It took everything in my power to not scream at these girls and scoop up E in to the safety of my arms. I calmly said "Well that's not very nice, is it?" and asked E if she wanted to play with my daughter's friend, after which she got up and obliged. Meanwhile, the girls' nannies were sitting on a bench chatting, oblivious to what was happening.
Sadly, it gets worse. The one girl (clearly the instigator) came up to E ten-ish minutes later and spat on her. I could hardly believe it! I lost it. I sternly told the girls that they needed to be nice and it was not appropriate to treat others that way. It broke my heart.
Is this really what is happening in our world? Five year olds being outright mean to other girls? I know that bullying happens, but I really wasn't prepared for it to happen this early. How do I protect her? How do I teach her that even if this happens, it has nothing to do with how special and loving she is? And most importantly - for her never to recreate what she has experienced and treat others with kindness, always?
Today I am linking up with Anne from Love the Here and Now and her co-host, Kerri from hey Kerri for Wednesday Wishes. Today, my wish is this: For children to be kind to each other. It seems so simple, but sadly is so complex.