A few weeks from now is Chucky's b'day party. Hans has
been invited along with 18 other kids from their school. Hans right away
declined. He said that he wouldn't want to attend a mean kid's party. I tried
to convince him that there will be other kids there and it will be a lot of
fun. Hans said that he cannot be a part of that fun. He insisted that I let
Chucky's parents know he can't be there!
Chucky's parents are nice people and this was perhaps
their way of extending the proverbial olive branch to us. Too bad I couldn't
meet them half way. Hans has become somewhat of an advocate against bullying.
He has reported to me a few sightings of a few kids being "tortured"
by their friends/classmates. The one that disturbed Hans the most has been of
one 5 year old boy forcing another 5 year old boy to admit that the latter is
not Canadian! It brought back a memory from when ASid was 5 years old. Where
are kindergartners gettting this info from? It is disheartening and a bit
frightening.
Hans hopes that by sharing this information with me I
can somehow help these kids. I do what I can do; I have talked with a couple of
parents about Hans' concern for their children's well being. However, I have
also asked them to verify with their own children before/if they decide to take
action. Most parents let it go when it involves 4 or 5 year old kids. They ask
their kids to be tough or walk away. It is tough for kids to walk away!
I am glad that Hans was able to express his feelings
and I respect them. Although it is awkward to run into Chucky's parents and
try to come up with legitimate excuses to not have a play date or to not attend
a b'day party, standing by my child is worth it.
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