At some point in our lives, we have all probably experienced someone doing something mean. Whether it’s a rude comment or a push… such experiences are just a part of life.
But when you’re stuck around someone or people who engage in this kind of behavior daily, it gradually becomes unbearable.
As adults, we’re better at letting hurtful comments slide off, but for children, it’s much harder.
Children are supposed to enjoy life and focus on learning as they develop into young adults – and never find themselves in an environment where bullying and harassment exist.
Whether it’s due to a lack of self-respect, inadequate upbringing at home, absent parents, or poor teachers: bullying in schools is really a huge problem.
Tens of thousands of children and teenagers are bullied every year. This number is simply too high.
As we know, bullying has devastating consequences for victims: it can lead to depression, various forms of self-destructive behavior, and at worst, suicide.
Mother Carrie Golledge’s 6-year-old daughter, Sophia, was bullied at school. And Sophia quickly started developing severe anxiety as a result.
Every day when Sophia returned from school, she cried. At night, she couldn’t sleep because she was processing the traumatic events of the day and worrying about the next day at school.
“By the end of the summer, it was so bad that Sophia didn’t go to school for a few weeks because her illness was so severe – she was awake all night and had to vomit 20 times an hour,” the mother told The Mirror.
Eventually, Sophia’s entire body gave in – all because of the constant bullying and harassment from her classmates.
“She was in so much pain and because her stomach issues were so violent, it led to a water infection and her body was struggling,” the mother added. “We had to take her to the hospital with a high fever that they couldn’t get down.”
According to the mother, the culprit was a particular classmate. The girl, whom Sophia called her ‘best friend,’ told Sophia what to do, dictated what she could and couldn’t eat, and drove away anyone who tried to play with her.
The poor six-year-old was so stressed by the situation that her body and brain were almost paralyzed. Anxiety and stress made Sophia apathetic.
Carrie later took to Facebook to tell her story and posted a photo of her daughter, showing the 6-year-old lying in bed, frail and exhausted.
Alongside the heartbreaking image, she wrote the following words.
“This is what bullying does…
This is my 6-year-old daughter, hospitalized because of bullying…
… (emphasized text continues) …
This is my child who doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else. So this is my child’s story that we’re sharing, but she is one of many… too many!
Fortunately, Sophia’s parents moved her to another school. At that point, she improved almost immediately. She has since flourished and today is a much healthier, happier girl.
Fortunately, Sophia had parents who never gave up and fought to the end, but others may not be as lucky.
Help Sophia and her parents tell her story against all forms of bullying!
