You have a little girl....a sweet little girl. She is very tender-hearted and kind. She makes friends easily and is always giggling or talking. She has the biggest blue eyes you have ever seen and the most beautiful long blonde hair. She has legs that go on forever and is tall and skinny. By all accounts a gifted child who is the #1 in her grade level. The only problem is that she fails to see how beautiful she is or how smart she is. She has a hard time being mean to others and standing up for herself.
You are aware that recently she has run into some problems at her daycare (she stays here before and after school) with a family of 4 children. 3 monstrous girls, 1 beastly boy. The girls are spiteful and mean one day and nice the next. The boy is 4 years older (and bigger) and makes a habit of taunting and kicking her.
She is having a really hard time understanding how a friend could be so mean one day and nice the next and while you try to explain to her that she needs to stay away from this family she won't. No amount of talking to her will make her understand as she says "They said they were sorry...I don't want to be mean to them...I want to be friends with them."
You, as the parent, have gone to the daycare multiple times about this. You are told time and time again that it has been handled. You have talked with the children and teachers involved. You talk with Lacey. Everything seems to be handled and put behind us.
So she tells you this morning on your way to drop her off at daycare that she doesn't want to go to daycare. She says this family is mean to her. She is afraid. She has been silent about this bullying for a while now because she fears retaliation.
Last week they took her book bag and hid it. She got in trouble with the teacher because she couldn't find it. While she was being disciplined for being irresponsible, two of these children where watching and laughing because they knew exactly where the book bag was. Sometimes they push her off the swings. Sometimes they scribble over her homework and she has to do it over......
Enough.
So I called the Paulding County School District. I called the GA Dept of Education. I called Lacey's school's counselor. (The family also goes to the same school as Lacey) While it is not happening on the school property, since all the children involved go to the same school, I have it documented in all of their records.
I call the daycare* and speak to the director. I tell her that if it happens again I will call the police and file a report. Apparently bullying is now a very big deal. It's like yelling fire in a crowded room. Good to know.
Daycare jumps ALL over it. Calls mom of the family of the children and mom wants to meet with me.
Whatever bitch. C'mon. I would love to meet with your sorry ass about your wretched kids. I would love to hear you apologize and try to blow smoke up my ass about how they are just 'kids'. Tell me when and I will be there and you will lose.
So we schedule a Wed. afternoon meeting. I have everything together, names of my contacts at the GA DOE, Paulding Co. School Districts and many others, my little speech is ready and all I have to do is type up my course of action so that all parties involved have my complaint and warning in writing. The very next time one of them so much as touches Lacey or her anything that belongs to her I will call the police and file a report**.
And then I show up at the daycare today at my usual time to pick up the kids. And mom is waiting for me.
She is dressed nicely and appears to have an education past high school. She also speaks very clearly and intelligently...through her tears. She is standing in the middle of the hallway waiting for me.
Crying.
She says she is so sorry. She is appalled by the news. She was once picked on as a child and it was terrible and has stuck with her throughout her life. She cannot believe her children could be so cruel.
She is either a really great actress or she is sincere. I'm very cynical of people, so I'm not sure I trust her yet. During my bitch session about her children she never makes an excuse for them. She never argues with me. She just apologizes. Profusely. She gets down on Lacey's level and apologizes. Profusely. She has all 4 of her children apologize to Lacey.
So I shall keep a well documented record of what goes on with Lacey. I hope that this mother really keeps her word and works on this. Is Lacey suicidal? No, of course not. But she deserves to feel safe at her school and her daycare. She is 5 and she is learning about friendship and trust. Her self-confidence is developing and I will not allow a little family of rejects to interfere with any of that.
*In Daycare's defense, they have been really great over the years. Anytime you deal with a daycare you are going to run into problems or things you don't like. I have found with this daycare any issues have been handled quickly and very well. Bullying is often hard to catch as the kids will do it when the teachers aren't looking or sometimes without words.
**The police report – a little harsh you say? Yes. BUT it’s for documentation and it will be a pain in the butt for the mom and the daycare. No jail time or fines would come out of it…its just a message I am sending….I am not playing anymore.
