A mother fights for her son
Imagine seeing the child you love is taunted and terrorised, plucked of all dignity and left wounded. Lyndal Denny's story about her son, Jonathan, will be familiar to many mothers of bullied children.
"I was never able to identify whether he felt that Jonathan was a threat, or whether he just looked like he had 'pick on me' written on his forehead," said Lyndal.
Jonathan became more and more withdrawn. He told his mum that nobody wanted to be friends with him, nobody liked him. He didn't want to go to school.
Lyndal spoke to the teacher. "She said to me, 'Look Lyndal, I've got three boys. This is character-building; they go through it to toughen up. You're molly-coddling him. If I were you I'd build a bridge and get over it,'" Lyndal said.
Full of self-doubt, inexperienced in the best way to handle such a matter, Lyndal went away wondering if she was over-protective, but when Jonathan continued to deteriorate she decided she couldn't stand on the side-lines any longer.
But this mother's problems were only just beginning. Find out more by downloading the latest Wesley report, Give kids a chance to shine: No one deserves to be left out.
If you or someone you know is struggling with bullying, please contact one of our services or others in your community.
Photo of Lyndal and Jono courtesty of 7 Network.
Share this page (Short link: http://wesleymission.com/s/18378 )