A lively child, always looking to make new friends and looking for new adventures and exciting things to do.
Often they'd walk or ride around the street trying to befriend other children. Often with me keeping a close eye from my yard because they're only 4, too small to be out of their own in this new environment.
None of the children were my child's age, all around the 8-10 year mark, and all relatively mean to my child.
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One time I could hear my child out the front of our house talking to some girls asking them what's their names etc and I can hear them giving narky rude responses. So I go out to spy on them and see what's going on. A girl is across the street with a her friend and they're saying mean things to my child, who is simply trying to befriend them. I pop out the front where the girls see me and scamper inside, knowing they got sprung for being mean and rude.
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Another time my child goes outside and starts walking up the street. I see a group of around 4-5 boys on bikes ride off in my child's direction. I instantly hurry outside to see what they're up to and sure enough they ride up to my child, surround them and start harassing, hitting the cap of their head, pushing, shoving. They're so engrossed in what they're doing they don't notice me rushing up to them. By the time they realise it's too late, I'm on them. They get on their bikes to flee but I grab one boy and his bike and tell him, "F off and leave my child alone. Touch them again you'll be sorry!" He goes a whiter shade of pale and they all scurry away.
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Some time later I hear my child talking over the fence to them, asking them if they want to play and they say they can't, "Your mum won't let us". Not exactly true. I'd have happily let them be friends with my child if they'd have be nice and friendly.
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Another time I'm inside doing dishes and my child is playing out the front with one older boy who has been more friendly than the other children in the street. Next thing my child is crying and the older boy is rushing over to me saying my child fell off their bike. I go running out to find my child with blood running down his face, lips swollen, scrapes and scratches.
This boy points to a stick on the ground staying it was sticking out and got stuck in the spokes of the bike causing the bike to flip. This makes no sense. There are no bushes or shrubs around for a stick to be poking out from. It's far more likely this bozo shoved the stick into the spokes making the bike flip and causing the accident.
I take my child inside to minister first aid. Days later his two front teeth start turning grey, dying. Lucky it was only his baby teeth.
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Another day I'm out front while my child is in kinder and the mother of the boy (who most likely caused my child's bike accident) asks me if I'd like to come over for a cup of tea. I go there and talk about the harassment my child is facing from all the children in the street, how my child is only trying to make friends yet all the children in the street are mean to him.
This lady, who is sitting next to her husband, actually tells me all is not what it seems and that my child is the cause of many of the conflicts! What! How? At only 4 years old - I highly doubt it. Still practically a toddler. While all the other children are older and should know better!
From what I'd spied and seen my child had done very little prior to any of the events taking place that should warrant others wanting to target them.
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After that meeting I actively forced my child to avoid going out of our garden, having to stay behind the enclosed high fencing. Any mingling he did was through kinder or with me and family only.
Still, how weird it that? All the children in the street targeting my child, being rude and mean and bullying. While the parents seemed to think my child was asking for it!
Have you or your child ever been in a situation like this?
