I despise this meme! |
I had a conversation with my daughter. It was short, sweet and to the point. Here it is (paraphrased except for the first part):
Dori, I will always love you. No matter what you say or do, I will always love you. I will not always love your words or your actions, but I will always love YOU. Having said that, I need you to understand that in this world, there are going to be people who, for so reason, don't like you. There may be people who, for some reason, you don't like. No matter how they treat you, give them nothing but the kindness and respect you want to receive. No matter what they say to you, I need you to know that you are beautiful, loving person who deserves kindness and respect. No matter what they do, let the love of all the other people in your life give you strength to be the kind, respectful young lady I raised.
Yup. I read that from a paper.
And then there was something that I wasn't prepared for. The questions section. I should have known but it always catches me off guard.
Dori: Well, what if they are a bully?
Me: It's still important that you treat them with kindness and respect. If someone is bullying you, then they need love and kindness in their lives more than ever.
Dori: Well, what if they hit me?
*there was a long pause here*
Me: Did you know that hitting someone is called assault and it is against the law?
Dori: No.
Me: If someone hits you, they are breaking the law. If someone attacks you, they are breaking the law. If this happens, you must get to a place where you are safe and then call the emergency number. If someone is angry enough to hit you or hurt you, do your best not to be near that person. Always, always, ALWAYS tell a trusted adult about the problems you are having with your peers (Granny, Auntie, Uncles, Grammy, Papa, ME, your teachers, Pastor Dan, your SS teachers, etc.). This way we can help you before the situation becomes really dangerous.
(Whew! I thought I handled that one pretty well!)
Dori: Mom...I love you. Thank you for being the best!
This conversation ended with an exuberant hug from a 10-year-old who is almost eye to eye with her 5'10" mother. In other words, it was quite like having a Great Dane bound up to you and try to jump into your arms. If you are not ready for it, you will be knocked flat on your ass. I loved every minute of that hug!
I hate this part of parenting. Every time I have to give her these life lessons, I feel as though I am ripping part of a band-aid from her eyes. Why? Why do I have to prepare my child for the ugliness of the world? Why can't we as adults work tirelessly to give a better world to our children? I just don't get it.
Tweets by @JackieMichele
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