“He just likes you”

Dear parents, PLEASE stop telling your little girls “Well, he just has a crush on you.” when they are getting bullied by a boy. I and many other girls grew up thinking that abuse/verbal bullying = affection/love because of these statements. It’s not okay to condition your girls into expecting bullying from romantic parents. And yes, he may be bullying her because he in fact likes her and “Boys just don’t know how to show it.” I want to see more parents telling their little boys how to show love and kindness to people they are attracted to. Yes, I know “it’s just a thing kids do” but if you tell your children that bullying their crush is acceptable when they’re little they will continue to do it as they grow. If you know your child (male or female) are bullying the person they are crushing on, please tell them this, “If you like them, don’t make fun of them! Instead, ask them what their favorite color is, get to know them. Ask them if they can play at snack time, tell them you like their lunchbox. Don’t make them feel bad!” I find it really disgusting that when a child will go to their teacher for help, they get “Don’t worry! They just have a crush on you.” Having a crush is not an excuse to bully or harass someone. This goes for physical bullying as well, when I was in 2nd grade a boy that was a grade above me would grab my waist during breaks and “taser” me (tasering is like really intense tickling) and then if I pushed him off of me he would tell me I was fat and ugly. I confronted my teacher, she told me “he just thinks your pretty! He has a crush on you! Just let him do it okay?” THIS IS NOT OKAY. Parents, this goes for little girls who are being mean to their crushes as well, PLEASE tell them it’s not okay. And no, I’m not talking about innocent consensual playful banter where both parties are aware of the joke, I’m talking about ACTUAL BULLYING being written of because of a crush. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Kw1XRO