Maisie Miller, a sophomore at Marblehead High School in Massachsetts, has been bullied one too many times and she’s not taking it anymore. She’s standing up for herself, and every kid who’s ever been bullied, with pigtails.
A girl, whom we will refer to as Meanie McMeanster, habitually picked on Maisie at school. We don’t know her real name. Maisie was too cool to name her bully. Meanie McMeanster made demeaning remarks about Maisie’s body, boyfriend, and clothes. Typical bully tactics were employed.
One day as Maisie walked past her on the stairs, Meanie McMeanster loudly mocked her hairstyle, saying, “Who wears pigtails still? What is this, kindergarten?” Maisie turned around to look at her and the girl snapped at her to “keep walking!”
Ok, let’s stop right here. This bully is making me want to punch her in the face. I can’t help but think about my own two girls and how infuriated I would be if someone treated them like this. I would be livid knowing that someone else made them feel so badly about themselves. I can’t even promise that I wouldn’t have went to the school and paid some bigger, meaner student to scare the bully right out of this child. But Massie is way cooler than I.
That was the day Maisie said no more. She went home, pissed off and hurt, and posted a letter on Facebook asking that everyone wear pigtails to school the next day in protest of the bullying. This is what impressed me the most; she didn’t name her bully. She didn’t ramble and spew hatred. She only asked for the united support of her peers to stand up to bullies, and that is a classy move. Stay classy, kid.
The next day, not only did kids show up sporting pigtails in droves -- but now pigtails are a new anti-bullying campaign. Pigtails for peace are an awesome idea. It teaches our children that we can stick up for ourselves by uniting against the bullies and in a peaceful manner. We don’t always need to meet force with more force, sometimes we need to turn the other cheek and leave the bully fighting with herself. After all, that’s whom they really have the problem with.
How would you react if someone bullied your child?
Image via Coba/Flickr
Tie-Dye for the Fourth of July!
Mom Survives Horrific Domestic Abuse
Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Predictions!
Moms Love Birthday Parties, Too!
Comments 12
Yeah, because everyone knows racism is a thing of the past...
@billsfan - i actually agree with you. i understand that there's a serious problem with bullying in our country, but it has become 'everything is a bullying incident' which defeats the purpose.
and @martha linn - no, it's not a thing of the past. however, there are more and more incidents every day where people blame things on racism when it is not. perfect example: a casting call a couple of months ago got a lot of people riled up because they were not chosen to play a certain part. two of the actors who auditioned claimed it was due to them being black. in truth, it was due to them not being right for the role. is that racism? no, but they pulled that card fast. we shouldn't jump to call every indiscretion racism (and as i've said time and time again here on the stir - as long as we keep talking about race, there will keep being racism.)
@Rebekah - yes, there's "levels" of bullying. but really, what happened to teaching our children "Sticks and stones will break my bones..." and some self confidence? personally, i am SO tired of hearing people trying to ban words and phrases instead of teaching their kids that they only are affected by words if they let themselves be. i was "bullied" all growing up (of course, back then it was just "oh kids tease") but i didn't go make a national cause out of it. instead i learned how to let the idiot things those people said roll off my back and be more self-confident. i learned to teach my children that they are only powerless when they choose to give up their power in a situation.
why, for the love of all things WHY, are we raising our kids to be delicate little flowers? don't get me wrong, i fully acknowledge that some bullying is violent and far more than just "sticks and stones" ... but isn't that where it all starts?
kittie
Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. No. Names are much worse. Something I know too well.