Thoughts from a protective Mom

I took this picture last night while Faye and I were talking in the living room and I was playing around with my new camera. This picture is quite blurry, so I guess I have some things to learn? :)

See this beautiful girl? She loves drinking tea and chatting with me. I love having a girl. Yes, she is full of emotion a lot of the time, but I'm sure I was too at her age. There is something about the boys being in the garage with Dad and a warm cup of tea in our hands that brings the conversation. She is such a sweet girl.

Faye has had to deal with some issues at school lately that make my heart heavy. I realized last night though, that through these issues it gives us a chance to talk them through and discuss real life. Some of the kids at school are bullying her and making her feel bad that she sees a math tutor. Faye had to move school districts last fall and in some of her math she is just a bit behind because of higher school standards at the new school, and not being very confident with her math fluency. I've worked with Faye a lot at home one on one and she is really determined to excel in math and just recently has seen a huge improvement in her tests and fluency. The kids in her class have hurt her feelings by some of the things they've said, and the mommy bear in me wants to come out and go find those kids. I remember how mean girls can be at this age, because I was bullied too. But this is life. There will always be someone better than us and someone behind us. As much as I want to go to school with Faye and sit right next to her and hoard off any negativity that she encounters, I can't. It's a good lesson to learn that everyone grows and learns at a different pace and we can't always compare ourselves, or listen to what other people say about us.

So, just as my sweet Faye is so determined to excel in math this year, I will challenge myself to not compare myself to others as well. It's so easy to do, isn't it? Do you have kids that struggle with bullies at school? How do you approach the problem? I'd love to know your thoughts.