Answers to Questions About Bullying
March 7, 2008— -- ABCNEWS.com asked readers to submit their questions about bullying to Rosalind Wiseman, educator and author of "Mean Girls."
Your questions, and her answers, are posted below.
Hi! My daughter first became friends with "the bully" a few years ago. We live in the same neighborhood, and at that time the girls attended the same school. The bully was in a grade ahead of my daughter. They were close friends who played almost daily. Soon after they became friends I noticed a lot of jealousy from the bully. She did not want my daughter to have any other friends but her.
She would tell lies to the other girls in the neighborhood and at school in an attempt to make the other girls not like my daughter. And when the other girls were around she would make fun of and be mean to my daughter and then later tell my daughter that the girls made her say and do the things she did. I have put an end to the friendship, and since then the bully has threatened my daughter physically and it's like she is so obsessed with trying to get every friend my daughter has and trying to hurt my daughter in any way she can.
Fortunately, they do not go to the same school anymore, but they do attend the same dance class. She is constantly and secretively doing things in dance class to hurt my daughter, verbally. I've told the teacher, who watches the girls and tries to make sure the bully is not getting away with this. This bully is 10 and my daughter is 8. She has a reputation in the neighborhood as rude and the "mean child" of the neighborhood.
Her parents, whom I tried to talk to because we were once friends, ignore everything their child does. When I was friends with them she would treat her parents rudely and disrespect them on a daily basis. I am concerned, because even though their friendship is ended, she is still just as obsessed with hurting my daughter or trying to ruin things for her. I told my daughter just to ignore her, which she has done a good job at doing. I just didn't know if there were any other suggestions you could give me. Thanks so much. — Nancy
ANSWER: Thanks for writing, and you're doing a lot of good things here, like enlisting the support of other adults who can make sure your daughter is safe.
