So I got a phone call from a good friend of mine this morning who just happened to teach Caroline's class on Sunday. For those of you who don't know, Caroline is my 5 1/2 year old who has a severe speech problem (which gets better and better every day) and is soooo shy because of it. However, once she opens up to you, you are able to see that she is the most hilarious, cheeky kid you will ever know. She loves to tease and be teased and she totally plays practical jokes on everyone. It KILLS me that she is sooo shy because Caroline really does have the best personality!
I guess on Sunday, my friend had to leave the room for a minute with another child and when she came back, apparently the other girls in Caroline's class were making fun of her speech and telling her that she talks like a baby. Apparently Caroline didn't really notice, or else she gets that alot because she didn't bother to tell me about it and when I talked to her about it today it didn't seem to phase her.
However, it broke my heart that other children (especially these two girls that Caroline really likes) would make fun of something that Caroline really struggles with. It has taken me 2 years to get Caroline to actually speak when other people are around and her speech and improved by huge leaps and bounds, and even though apparently Caroline didn't really care what they were saying, my heart broke when I heard what had happened. I don't know why Caroline has the disadvantages (her speech is only one of them) that she has, but I really wish that she could, at least, have a couple of friends who wouldn't make fun of her and just love her for who she is. This kid has my entire family wrapped around her little finger, now she just needs some friends.
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4 days ago
5 comments:
Awww, that's just so sad. It kills me when I hear about kids teasing each other. It's just too mean. I'm sorry that she has to struggle with that. At least she has a great Mom who she'll know is behind her all the time!
Kids ARE mean. And if it wasn't her speech they'd find something else to tease her about, I'm sure. I'm not trying to downplay what happened to her, but it'll just make her stronger! In high school, some people in our ward and the other ward that I went to high school with, made my life a living hell and there wasn't really anything particular about me that they had chosen to pick on. There just wasn't anybody else around. I learned to just let it roll off my back, but sometimes it still hurts and I'm still bitter at those people that hurt me.
Aw - that is so sad. Girls are mean. So mean. Can I come beat them up!? You know, I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but if that was my kid (the one doing the making fun), I would want to know about it. They are old enough to understand that that is completely inappropriate, not to mention mean and un-Christlike behavior. I think there should be consequences for their picking on her - especially since they are still so young. When I was in Primary, that kind of stuff drove me crazy and we tried to really clamp down on exclusion and mean behavior. I don't know - maybe it's better to just ignore it, but I think those parents should know so they can speak to their children about being kind to others and bullying and whatnot.
I have a similar problem with people looking at Tanner oddly because he looks different. He does have speech delays but he is still understandable. We just are consistant about telling him we love him and that he's special to us. We hope this instills in him a confidence that he clearly won't get from other children and even adults who don't initially know him. If the problem continues I would take action without hesitation. Not anything drastic but I would absolutley talk to the parents of the children that were making fun of my child and let them be aware that their child was doing these things. If the teasing continued and it bothered Tanner, I would figure out a way to teach him to respond (or ignore) the teasing and how to handle the difficult feelings. The fact that it seemed to not bother her is a huge thing. It IS very painful to watch our kids being teased and feel hurt. I hope I make sense. The best way to deal with it...I know this sounds so "molly mormon" but I would pray about it with my husband and pray about it with my child so they see that we can depend on the Lord to help us with any problem.
sorry I'm so long winded...I can relate to how you are feeling.
Hey Megan,
I came across your blog through Emily Murdock's blog. Jackson has a severe phonological speech delay and so it has been a couple years now of therapy. But I too know how much your heart breaks when they are teased. What special spirits they have. Have you heard of the PUFF program in Calgary?
It was a huge help with Jackson. IF you want more info, let me know!
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