My seven year old daughter plays hockey, she loves it, and she's quite good if you ask me. Of course she will never play in the NHL or probably even college, but she enjoys it. It has also allowed her to gain in cofidence and meet new people. I'm excited that she has a hobby she enjoys that she can take into her adult life. I don't really expect it ever to be more than a hobby for her. Now, all that is great, but there is one little boy who says mean things to her every time they step on the ice. I am not a helicopter parent, I believe that the best way to learn is to experience things, however I do not like to see my children get hurt. I especially don't like what my daughter goes through with this boy because I don't want her to stop liking hockey. The question is do I ask the coaches to put her on a different team so that she doesn't have to deal with this kid so much or do I let her go through the hurt of this experience because honestly there are mean people that we have to deal with all our lives?
It is so hard to know what to do when there's a child bent on bullying your own child. No real advice, but my thought is to first coach her on responses, ways to be kind to him when he isn't, turn the other cheek even when it's hard, and find ways to be a friend to him. The bullying seems to stem from insecurity, for who knows what reason. I've taken this stance with my children - and tried to help them see what Christ would do. Not that they always heed my advice, but I always hope that it is a learning process for them.
ReplyDeleteHugs for her!