Please stop the bullying
This morning my sister texted me to let me know that my nephew is being bullied at school. I had heard about a boy bothering him a few times in the past but when she said he came home crying, it truly broke my heart. I haven’t stopped thinking about it all day.
My nephew is the cutest boy ever. He is silly, smart, thoughtful, compassionate, funny, and yes, he’s flamboyant. He is a social butterfly, friends with everyone, a great speaker, and just a precious boy overall. His bad habits are his obsession with screen time and sometimes his sassiness after spending too much time with his trio group. I’ve seen this kid since he was a baby. To imagine another kid viciously using homophobic and sexually explicit language as a form of harassment at eight years old was devastating.
It reminds me that there are some really mean people in this world and they’re not only adults…they manifest themselves in kids too.
While we can’t avoid bullying anywhere in the world, we can take measures to bring it to light, advocate, and hopefully prevent it from happening again. My sister has already reached out the school and was directed to submit a formal HIB report. Good. A formal investigation is necessary.
I’m thankful my nephew found courage to trust in his mom to tell her what’s going on. The saddest part was when he told her he thinks he’s bullied because of his unique habits and mannerisms.
So sad…
He knows we don’t care if he’s indeed gay. He is loved unconditionally. But the way they used it as a weapon was completely unacceptable. No one should have to endure this type of harassment.
There’s not much I can do right now but assure my sister and brother in law that they’re doing a good job advocating and protecting their son. And, when I’m back from my trip, I can’t wait to hug my nephew and remind him how loved he is. I pray this incident doesn’t diminish his light and lively personality. May he always be safe and comfortable being himself.