ABU DHABI // Dana Al Muhairi had to intervene when her nine-year-old daughter Ayesha confided to her mother that she was being bullied by her peers.
“As a mother, I have a close relationship with my children,” said the 33-year-old Emirati. Last year, the Abu Dhabi resident noticed Ayesha would often return home depressed and upset. “I noticed the sadness in her face and asked if anything happened in school,” said Ms Al Muhairi, a mother-of-three.
Her daughter confided that she was being bullied by her Grade 2 classmates.
“There were two girls in her class who liked to be bossy,” said Ms Al Muhairi. “Too often, they used Ayesha as their subject of mockery. Like they would tell other girls not to play with her. Such attitude from her compatriots made her feel lonely and often she cried when she came home.”
Ms Al Muhairi spoke to Ayesha’s teacher and asked to intervene, telling the school that if they would not get involved she would speak directly to the parents of the two girls. The impact was immediate, said Ms Al Muhairi. “The following day, her classmates began to treat Ayesha properly. They would play with her and involve her in their activities.
“Right after my intervention, my daughter became a happy child again. One day, she came to me and said how her colleagues were treating her nicely and her facial expression said it all.”
Ms Al Muhairi said parents need to have a good relationship with the child to spot the warning signs when something may be wrong at school. She said: “They should take the time from their busy schedule to listen to their children’s daily-to daily-activities.”
All the blame should also not be placed on the bully, said Ms Al Muhairi.
“If the foundation of a child’s upbringing is dysfunctional, then the society can’t blame the child,” she says. “A child remains a child.”
jbell@thenational.ae
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