For the ones we love, we can go to great lengths to protect them. Love is powerful; love is sacrifice. The love that exists between family members and even our friends can make us do things to keep them safe and happy. I do have several situations where I have gone the extra length to protect the ones I love—my siblings, my child, and my friend—but I am going to tell you just one of my diverse experiences on this subject.
I am the type of mom who pays close attention to her children, and this has helped me detect almost immediately when things are going wrong. I never had any reason to talk about this aspect of my child and how someone was constantly bullying him in school until I saw that today's prompt was all about sharing our experience of how we go the extra length to protect the one we love.
Originally, it was my responsibility to protect my child, but in this one, I really went the extra mile to put a stop to the ugly situation I observed. As much as I hate to see someone bullying my child, I also hate to hear that my child is bullying someone's child, and because of this, I do my best to raise responsible children who wouldn't go out to cause nuisance to society or, better put, make the lives of others uncomfortable.
Two years ago, I noticed that my child would return from school sometimes feeling moody and losing interest in preparing for school the next day. And then I ask him, What changed? Why this sudden, nonchalant attitude towards your academics? And he will sigh and say, Is it not Mubarak? Oh, what about him? I asked. And he told me how Mubarak was constantly bullying him at every given opportunity. I have never visited his school to fight anyone or quarrel with any teacher, but I was concerned that such a thing was going on to the point of making my child lose interest in school without the teacher noticing such an attitude in her class, well, she is only a human and can't be perfect always. But then, I said that I would have to visit and politely ask the teacher to put an eye on the boy Mubarak. Just the next day, the same guy pushed my son from the staircase at school, and he fell down, losing his two front teeth, a blood stain on his school uniform, and red eyes. I received him from the school bus, looking so disappointed. Out of frustration, I asked the school bus driver, and he said that he doesn't know anything about my child other than taking him to school and bringing him back. I quickly called the owner of the school, and she was just apologizing. However, I scheduled a meeting to see the school the next day. Unfortunately, my son felt sick the next day due to the fall. It was a terrible experience. We spent three days in the hospital before he became fine. After he got discharged from the hospital, I visited the school to really discuss things. I wasn't so concerned about their apologies; I was more concerned about seeing the boy and his parents so we could have a dialogue.
When I finally met up with the boy's parents with the help of the school, it was discovered that the parents didn't know that aspect of life from their son. They felt embarrassed and couldn't stop apologizing. They also promised to caution their son. After the whole negotiation, I never heard that name again in my house from my child; he stopped bullying him and doing things to hurt him intentionally.
However, my child still has the psychological effect to date. Whenever I talk about sending him to boarding school, he declines immediately, making references to the boy who bullied him many times back then. I really hope he will come around with time.
In conclusion, I think it doesn't take much to protect the ones we love. Yes, your time, your energy, and even resources may be needed for this sacrifice, but anything to make our loved ones safe and happy should be our priority.
This post is in response to the #Hive Learners community contest on the topic titled, To Protect a Loved One.
