Ishana: ‘You feel powerless as a parent’.

Ishana: ‘You feel powerless as a parent’.

Ishana’s* daughter has been bullied for two years. 'Since fifth grade other children bully her because of her looks,' her mother says. 'Pushing, tackling and nasty remarks. We have had several talks with teachers, but it does not stop. As a parent, you really feel powerless.'

Bullying often starts as a joke, also with Ishana’s daughter. ‘In the beginning we told her not to pay attention to it. Our daughter is very strong and smart and has nice friends in class.’

But sadly her parents’ advice did not affect the bullying and they talked with the class teacher. ‘The agreement was that our daughter would tell every time she was bullied. The teacher would then talk to the bullies. Unfortunately, the bullying still did not stop and our daughter’s motivation to report it went down.’

Powerless

As a parent it is hard to watch without being able to change the situation. ‘Last year I picked her up after the first day of school and she came running crying, because she had been bullied again. That is just very sad. I wished so much that she could go to school happily.’

Good intentions

After two years it really is time for change. ‘We have had several talks with teachers and said that we see they cooperate, but we feel the children are not kept in check. There is a bullying report point, but really you want it to not get that far.’

Ishana: ‘It would be nice if there is already a clear action plan and that bullying is really seen as something that is not allowed. And whether you suspend a bully for a day or make them stay after class, I do not mind. As long as it is clear that what they do is not right. Right now the children still get too much space and there are too few consequences. I hope this changes in the future. We have sought professional help outside school to handle the bullying. And we will talk with the school again if nothing changes.’

*Ishana is a fictitious name