Mother Says Bullying To Blame for Age 6 Daughter's Hospitalization

By Amanda Thomason November 1, 2018 at 10:54am

At some point in our lives, we’ve probably all experienced people behaving poorly toward us. An off comment here, a rude remark there — it’s part of life.

But when you’re trapped around those kinds of people five days a week, it takes a real toll. Children, who should be focusing on learning and developing into well-rounded young adults, can have their worlds cave in on them when their fellow pupils choose to tear down rather than build up.

Many adults have learned the art of countering what is said to them or have developed ways to process negativity, but many children internalize what is said and take mean and untrue comments to heart.

Whether it stems from a lack of confidence, rough home life situations, absent parents, or a mean streak, bullying is rampant in many schools today — even among children who haven’t hit double digits.

Carrie Golledge, a mother from Tiverton, Devon, in the U.K. has a 6-year-old daughter who has been experiencing a heart-wrenching case of bullying. Her daughter, Sophia, had already developed anxiety because of bullying at school.

When Sophia got home, she would just cry. She couldn’t sleep at night because she was trying to process what had happened and accept the fact that she’d have to go back the next day.

“Things were so bad by the end of the summer term that Sophia was out of school for a couple of weeks because her sickness was so severe — she would be up all night and vomiting 20 times an hour,” Golledge told the Mirror.

“She’d be in so much pain and because her upset stomach was so violent, it would lead to a water infection and her body struggled. We’ve had her in hospital with high fevers, which they’ve struggled to control.”

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According to Golledge, the girl who was supposed to be Sophia’s friend at school was actually aggressively controlling her, dictating what Sophia could and could not eat, and chasing off anyone who tried to play with her.

The poor 6-year-old was so stressed by these interactions that she was in a miserable state, both in body and mind, and nothing was really being done to alleviate her suffering at the school.

Golledge posted a picture of Sophia in the hospital, world-weary and exhausted, and wrote a post that detailed what they’d been experiencing.

“This is what bullying does…This is my 6 year old daughter, hospitalised, due to bullying,” the mom wrote in the post.

“This is my child with such a caring heart that despite being so ill ‘doesn’t want anyone to get in trouble’… This is my child who has stopped eating, has cried herself to sleep, had anxiety so severe she’s up sick over 20 times in an hour through the night…”

“This is my child whose ‘best friend’ has emotionally abused her for so long she thought it was normal… This is my child who has been in and out of hospital for countless trips due to being so sick with anxiety…”

“This is my child who was told off for ‘telling tales at school’… This is my child who has been mocked on social media by the bullies parents for just having such a pure heart… This is my child who when addressing the issues with her school we were told ‘Its just 6 year olds being 6 year olds’…”

“This is my child who was told by the school she should be the one feeling ashamed and be snuck in a side door of a morning… This is my child who her school failed her so badly that we had to move her schools…”

“This is my child who is one of too many that are going through this… This is my child whose story is being twisted and manipulated by the very people that were meant to protect her at her school when she was in their care…”

“This is my child who doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else. So this is my child’s story we are sharing but she is one of many….too many! Please help us share her story. Lets show her the support her school couldn’t afford her.”

Fortunately, Sophia’s parents enrolled her in a different school, and the change was almost instant. She’s since blossomed into a much healthier, happier little girl.

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