Passing over

Yesterday, Punks came home from school crying her heart out. Not the normal cry, more the kind where something has upset so greatly that you know the disappointment is more than usual.

It turns out that her school is having a play on bullying, and she raised her hand as a volunteer (she was a victim till not too long ago), and was passed over.

Normally, children understand that they would not be chosen for every project... but since Punks is a Hindu, dark skinned and obviously not fitting in with the Christmas theme, she is never chosen for that particular play.

I am an indulgent father, more than most I would say. Yet my daughter is well behaved, polite, but non-aggressive and only quietly assertive. So I think I have to get involved in this somehow:

Dear Mrs D,

Yesterday Punks came home upset and crying. She indicated that she volunteered to be in an upcoming play, by lifting her hand, and was ignored.

Normally, I would not involve myself in this as not every child will be chosen. However, for two reasons, I write to you.

One is the disproportionate amount that Punks was upset. It seems that she dearly wants to be part of something in the school, and she knows that since she will not be chosen for the Christmas play, she wanted to be part of this one since she sees it as non-religious, or non-Christian. It is especially heartening to see that she recognised the impact of displaying bullying as she herself is/was a victim and that she recognises the importance.

Punks sees the Christmas play as being something she as a Hindu will not be involved in, hence her attraction towards this one.

Secondly, Punks has always been the type of child to take a backseat to others in terms of asserting herself, and it is quite positive that she finally does so by volunteering for this play. It is only my opinion, but I believe this is the sort of attitude that should be encouraged, not discouraged.

If perhaps you can find a small part of her, and have her become in some way more active in this project, I think it will do wonders for her self confidence and hope that sometimes, she can achieve a dream.

Wishing you the best of luck in the project,

Yours Sincerely,