Thursday, February 7, 2008

Mean Girls Suck

Yesterday was once again that time of month. No. Not that time. Sheesh! It was my scheduled day to volunteer in Boy-Child#2's second grade class. GAWSH! Okay?! The major highlight of this event is that we get to spend lunch together. While Boy-Child#2 and I ate our lunches; one packed from home with all of his favorites and my $3 spread of a giant chicken nugget "burger", rubbery french fries, and questionable warm milk purchased from the school cafeteria, I could hear a situation escalating a couple of tables away. It was your typical "girl trying to establish her alpha status" routine. Where she, along with another girl (because it's always in pairs or packs) were grilling their lunch mate who clearly wasn't living up to their low standards. They fired a series of questions at her and no matter how she answered, they'd manipulate it until she answered correctly only to then ask about her contradiction. Since I'm not employed by the school and was only there to eat with my son after having volunteered in his class; I wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Do I get involved? Do I intervene? Do I contact Tina Fey? Because I'm not trained to do so and I will NOT handle it with diplomacy. I would lay the smack down on those bullies. So I alerted the lunch aide with the signal: stick hand in air wave it vigorously and point in the general direction of drama. It's a universal language. So she went to the table to handle the problem but not before I watched the victim, this little girl flee from the cafeteria, crocodile tears streaming behind the lunch box she used to shield her humiliation. My heart broke for her. Her day was ruined. And she probably woke up this morning with that feeling of dread washing over her when she suddenly realized she has to go to school. The kicker? They are first graders. It was like watching some after school special that was grossly miscast. The players were too small and the pain and angst too premature.

14 comments:

Natalie said...

Oh my, this is so sad. I was just thinking about my 11 year old who claimed to be "sick" yesterday to stay home from school. You have to wonder if the mean girls were after her! School is hard, girls can be mean, school lunches stink!

Burgh Baby said...

Oh no! Not first grade, please not first grade. Girls can be such bitches. Wouldn't it be great if we could learn to save it until we are old enough to understand how hurtful our words can be?

Anonymous said...

I agree, mean girls suck. Mean boys too. I have all boys and they can be just as bad. But, it usually doesn't start until a little later...like 2nd grade. ;)

Anonymous said...

Who do we blame? The parents? TV? Music?
A pack of rabid dogs has nothing on a pack of mean little girls, and that is so sad.
Where has the innocence gone?

Fannie said...

Heartbreaking, the things girls do to each other.

Madame Queen said...

Why oh why do we do that to each other? Even at such a young age? I can remember one girl in first or second grade made another girl go across the monkey bars as fast as she could. If she did it fast enough then she could be the mean girl's friend. But we all knew she wouldn't do it fast enough.

Empathy. Empathy is key! We must teach them empathy -- that's the only way they'll know how much it sucks to be the picked on one.

Badness Jones said...

Sigh. I read another post about bullying yesterday....it makes me so scared about what my kiddos could be in for. Sigh. I'dve wanted to lay the smack down on those girls too, but how do you do that to a first grader?

A Mom Two Boys said...

1st Grade? Aak?

"Do I contact Tina Fey?" cracked me up.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that really just breaks my heart. I have a 9-year old niece who is a bit behind mentally, and it kills me to think that she might be getting made fun of at school. I'll have to be sure to talk to her about her experiences at school.

Karen said...

That's horrible! My daughter has been battling this head-on herself all year. I applaud her for what she's doing, but pray for her every night. It's gotta be tough being the one to stand against the entire grade. And she's in 6th. This poor little dear in 1st may never get that far from all the bullying. I just want to cry for her.

Tootsie Farklepants said...

I know. The thought of sending my daughter into that possibility is almost too much to stand. My 6th grade son has dealt with it. It seems with boys the picking on is more obvious. With girls it's done with a smile, sweet voice, and manipulation. And SO YOUNG!

A friend's daughter is in 3rd grade and one of her little "friends" was at their house telling my friend's daughter that all of her clothes in the closet were ugly and that she shouldn't wear them anymore because it's embarrassing. Like, "I'm being your friend and helping you here." In reality the little girl IS JEALOUS of my friend's daughter's wardrobe and just didn't want her to wear them anymore. It's so UNDERHANDED and veiled! With friends like that....

Nora said...

Those mean girls, they are everywhere! But they should stay out of first grade, at least.

Anonymous said...

Ah. Girls. Yes. Makes me think about Mrs. G's post about Hillary and how people hate her for being a girl. We wonder where we get this reputation? I'd much rather have a fight like boys and be friends 28 seconds later.

And, p.s., I was the girl with the crocodile tears at that age.

JCK said...

This was SO painful to read. So painful. I shudder to think my daughter has to go through that crap someday....hopefully NOT in 1st grade!!