This is a first for us in Pookieville. I need advice.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ask the Audience
How do you deal with a playground bully? Do you talk to him/them yourself? Do you go straight to the parents? Do you stay out of it? What if they threaten to burn your Pookie's face off if he doesn't leave? Is it okay for your Momma Bear claws to come out then?
This is a first for us in Pookieville. I need advice.
This is a first for us in Pookieville. I need advice.
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6 comments:
Hahaha...Nikki I love you! My advice is to bring Pookie to this boys home when his parents are home. Have pookie tell him he doesn't like it when he does .....! Have pookie tell this little boy he would like him to stop. Make sure the mother hears. This is my first go to approach and so far it has worked. If it didn't work, I would just take matters into your own hands....err I mean kind gentle words.
You bring out those Momma Bear Claws!! I would strategically be close to my pookie & wait for this BULLY to say something again. THEN I say; "THAT is not nice," or ask them where his parents are & say "does your mom know what you are telling kids?" oh bring on the ROAR!!
nobody talks to the pookie like that...burn his face off, I WILL BURN HIS FACE OFF!
If the parents are near by, definitely get them involved. Let them know that YOU are disappointed in THEIR child, but try and do it in a way that isn't totally humiliating. It's so hard to keep those claws in, I know. I hate to admit that I've barked pretty good at other kids when they've played mean with mine.
Just think of how this kid's parents might feel. One of my worst experiences was when it was my kid who did a teensy bit of bullying. Lee really got dealt with then by me. I will NOT allow him to be the mean kid on the playground. I hope other moms feel the same way. I know some parents aren't that invested, but give them the benefit of the doubt the first confrontation. If it continues beyond that, then you have every right and obligation to let those claws rip away!
For some reason, we have to deal with bullies fairly often. My approach is to generally help my son find the words to tell the other child to stop ("Stop. It hurts me when you....") However, a bully of this sort needs adult attention. I would tell the kid to take me to his mom (since tying the kid to an anthill is not an option. It's not, is it?). It would be completely acceptable to scream at the mother, asking "What kind of monster are you raising? Where did he learn this kind of language?" As acceptable as that would be, it may not get you far. Tell her there was an issue, and then ask her son to repeat what he said. Hopefully, she'll work with you. If not, tie her to the anthill with her son.
By the way, if talking to the parent isn't an option (i.e. the parents are present and the little monster,er, boy won't take you to them), YOU have every right to be the authority! Tell the kid he may not play at the playground anymore if he is going to treat the other children that way. Seriously. My mom used to ground my friends from playing at our house all the time. While you can't ground the kid from the playground, you certainly can send him home!
If you're present when the bullying is happening, correct the child immediately,"That's not nice. You're not allowed to talk to my son/daughter that way." Then go find the parents.
If you're not there when it happens, I agree with another commenter in that you should contact the child's parents and let them know what's going on...in one case with my own daughter, I called the parents and told them we'd like to come over and talk about this with them and their son. SO my husband, daughter and I went over and met with them. The bullying stopped. In another case, it was a girl in the ward who was a "mean girl"--her mother defended her actions because her bullying daughter wasn't invited to a party my daughter gave(because she was MEAN--HELLO!)...but the girl left my daughter alone after that.
I personally wanna drop-kick mean little kids, but I like the freedom of wearing my own clothes, living in my own house, driving a car, etc...prison-issue clothes aren't pretty.
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