Sticks and Stones may hurt my bones...

... but words can really hurt me! How many of us can remember being called names at school decades on? I had the misfortune to be a) taller than everyone else including boys and b) about the only child with spectacles at primary school. This led to two main nasty nicknames Godzilla and Speccy Becky. I was also sometimes called Medusa though I'm not 100% sure why! These names have stuck in my memory for the last 30 years even though the children that used them are long gone from my life. I am sure that I probably joined in name calling others too as its something most children do...

Today I witnessed two of my daughter's classmates start giggling and whispering to each other as my daughter walked into school near them. They refused to let her walk with them and continued to whisper and stare at her. I have no idea what they were saying but it didn't look nice. She quickly decided to walk away from the situation which I am glad about.

My daughter is a bit of a free spirit and tends to do things differently from others and also believes her way is the best way. This can lead to sparks with other children especially ones who know that if they push her buttons too hard she will explode and get into trouble. She says that other children can be really mean to her and don't let her join in or get things done. 

It is really hard to know how much of this is true and how much she invents to get out of trouble herself. It is hard to get across to her that sometimes adults only see the end of a situation when she is reacting to things that have happened before. There have to be ways for her to learn not to have such a short fuse so that a) people don't try and wind her up b) she isn't getting told off herself!

If anyone has any useful tips then I am open to suggestions!