Girl Bullies In Preschool? Yes, Really!
Wednesday December 31, 2008
First it was high school. Later, the behavior started in junior high. Today, girl bullies (a.k.a. the "queens of mean") have become younger and younger, to the point where bullying behaviors are being observed among the preschool set. Girl bullies and the emotional havoc they can wreak on young lives have become a growing societal concern. Even American Girl has joined in the act, featuring its 2009 Girl of the Year "Chrissa" in a HBO and DVD movie that debuts on Jan. 5 on that very topic. What to do? For starters, parents and child care providers need to partner to put a stop to this toxic behavior.
Comments
My 4 year old was bullied at preschool by another girl, who was 3 at the time. The teachers refused to see the problem or do anything about it. The only reason that I knew what was happening was because I spent time in the classroom every morning when I dropped my daughter off, and I witnessed the behavior myself. The other girl would tell my daughter every morning “I’m not going to play with you” and would then manipulate the other girls in her age group to not play with my daughter. I ended up pulling my daughter out of the school as a result. Thanks for addressing this topic, not many people are aware of it.
I wintessed the exact same type of bullying in my daughter’s preschool. It was a learning experience for me to know that it was possible for someone to bully her in this way. I could not believe that I had to address this at such a young age, but am glad to find out now. My daughter will be going to the same school as one of the bullies and I took steps to make sure they were not in the same class and I told the principal why. I also plan to speak to the teacher. My problem was that mean things would be said to her and she would react and get in trouble for what she did (one time pushing, another yelling).After investigation, they found out why, but the damage of her getting in trouble was already done…I will make no apologies for being proactive so that my daughter can concentrate on her studies. Another thing I learned…when girls say mean things, they get it from some where…mother, siblings, or being bullied themselves. We need zero tolerance for this