Ummm.... WHAT??? Seriously? She is in Kindergarten! Why am I hearing the word gang from my daughter? Why is she telling me she is worried about leaving this "gang" because they told her once she is out, she is "out forever." She told me that this little girl gang started as a way to "protect" another little girl from a mean boy at school. Well, apparently this protection spread to where the girls were becoming aggressive with other children as well and Rachel decided that it wasn't fun anymore because they were being bullies and she didn't want to be a bully.
First, I have to say that I'm very proud of Rachel for not wanting to be a bully. But I'm also really very upset that she is having to deal with this kind of social pressure at school. Of course I know it isn't like this is a really bad "gang" like one might see in the high schools, but still, it is concerning. Plus, her public school goes through 9th grade, so maybe the girls are copying behavior they see among the older children. I don't know. Anyway, we met with her teacher to discuss it and she said she had no idea this was going on and told me she would meet with the girls and have a discussion about it. Well, of course the girls all said that they were just having fun, the teacher told Rachel that she didn't need to be concerned because it was all in fun, and apparently it was dropped. I'm not entirely happy with how it was handled because I feel like Rachel's concerns were just brushed aside...at least from what I'm gathering from Rachel. I do wish the teacher would communicate with me a bit about this issue. I hate to come across as a helicopter parent and continue pursuing it. But in talking with the mom of one of her friends, I found out that I'm not the only parent who is concerned, as her child also has come home upset.
The good news is that Rachel does tell me that the "gang" is no longer together. But she also seems more stressed in general, has trouble sleeping on school nights, and just seems more on edge when I pick her up from school. She also tells me that she is playing by herself at
recess most of the time now. Well, this keeping to herself at recess is so NOT how Rachel is! She LOVES playing with other kids! And so I'm a concerned mommy right now. I can't wait for this school year to be over. I wish I could be with her and protect her at all times, but I know that I can't. But I didn't want her having these worries at such a young age. I'm hoping these last 9 weeks fly by quickly!
Here's another recent picture of my sweet girl!
3 comments:
Awww poor Rach. Kai-Li has playground issues too, she gets upset when she feels one of her friends doesn't want to play with her.
if only we could keep our little girl in a safe bubble forever!
That just amazes and scares me that such little girls are already learning to be mean girls, so very sad. Kudos though to Rachel for being an individual and knowing that she didn't want to be part of that situation, such a grown up choice. I hope that the gang thing is over and that maybe things will settle down and Rachel will again engaging and playing with her classmates. Social issues are so tough especially for kind hearted kids. Good luck!
Your little girl is beautiful and obviously had a beautiful heart too. It's great that she didn't want to take part in bullying. Hopefully others do the same and things get back to normal for her soon!
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