‘Get your bags ready for school!’ Mum said, her stomach tied in multiple knots.
‘No, that doesn’t feel safe,’ Charlie said, and exchanged his bag for his teddy.
‘Sorry, what did you say?’
‘It doesn’t feel safe Mummy, can I talk to you?’
Sitting on the bed, Mum looked at her little boy, smart, funny and today, serious.
‘I’m being bullied Mummy, by another boy at school; he keeps on taking my lunch money, and keeps threatening to hit me if I don’t keep quiet, and you are one of my network and I want to talk to you.’
This was written for the six sentence story, from https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/author/girlieontheedge1/ and I just wanted to show that it is okay to talk. We all have a network of friends and family we can rely on. If you are parents to young children, watch out for your child’s warning signs. They may have a stomach ache, quiet, or can act in a way you wouldn’t imagine.
Let your child be confident to talk to you, and have a network they can talk to, whether it be friends or family.
I was bullied as a child, and always thought I needed to keep it a secret because it would get worse, but there wasn’t much worse that could have happened. Talking, being open, is the only way bullying will become a thing of the past.
We can’t let it carry on because ”it has always happened”.
Writer Ravenclaw 
Perhaps everyone thinks/knows they have been bullied sometime or other. Unfortunately the advice is often ‘just ignore it’. Which is no advice at all. But maybe a parent doesn’t really know anything else to say.
Parenthood doesn’t come with directions or special insights.
A SSS such as yours might be read by someone and change a life. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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It’s important to speak to someone about being bullied as soon as possible, and your story provides a perfect example of what to do.
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When foster kids were placed with me, we set the house rules practically before they took off their coats. We explained about trust and privacy, but also if they had a problem and wanted a one on one in confidence, the key phrase was ‘Can I have a chat’ to the adult (usually me) they wished to confide in. This applied to partner’s two sons as well and confidence was respected. I have a very happy memory of one such time which made fostering so worth while. This is a lovely piece Diana, especially for kids today when they face so many different challenges.
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