Standing up for what you believe in
Iwas talking to a friend the other day who, like me, has an opinion about most things. To be honest, our opinions are generally only on topics that affect us and, both being in the dairy industry, you can imagine how that gets an airing every now and then.
However, the basis for a lot of our conversations lately has centred around the sense that we, as a population, are losing our ability to stand up and speak up for what we believe to be right.
To be fair, when you read some of the articles on the internet then scroll down to the comments section, it’s not hard to work out why people choose to stay quiet.
When I read through some of those comments I envisage one of those board games where a battery-operated mole pops its head up through a hole and another character bangs it back down with a big hammer.
Lately there has been cause for me to speak up and throw caution to the wind over how others perceive me.
My youngest daughter has been running into a few issues at school lately.
Remembering she is my third daughter, I am no novice when it comes to the things teenage girls can get dramatic about.
It takes a wee while for me to get worked up over things she cries about, slams doors over or thinks she knows and wants to argue with me about and, generally, she sorts things out on her own.
But the one thing I will stand up for her over is being bullied.
I’m not talking about the odd snide remark from another jealous or snarky teen, I’m talking about being threatened to be given an out-and-out right hiding.
To be honest, I was a touch nonchalant about that as well until I was sent a video of another girl being given a hiding after she had the good sense to walk away from the bully.
It was absolutely unbelievable to watch, not to mention sickening and very sobering when my daughter had been told she was going to be next.
So what to do as a parent? There’s only one thing you can do, go to the school, right?
Talk to whoever is willing and able to broach the subject that firstly, there is a problem and, secondly, is going to address the problem and not sweep it under the carpet.
Monday morning rolled around and, instead of catching the bus to school, I told my daughter to wait until I got in from the cowshed and I would take her to school so we would speak to someone together.
The only thing that gave me something to giggle about was the look on her face when I jumped in the ute, literally straight from the morning milking.
Cow dung splatters on my clothes, gumboots on and my mum bun in its glory hanging all cock-eyed like I had not retied my hair since I woke up, because I hadn’t.
My daughter walked 15 paces behind me to the school office as I strode across the grounds like a woman on a mission.
After explaining why I was there, I have to admit the situation was dealt with fairly well, but I wasn’t 100 per cent comfortable with the line that goes like this: ‘‘That’s not how our process works, Mrs Giltrap.’’
That’s when I got the distinct feeling that being threatened isn’t really grounds for action, simply because they can’t prove the threat was given.
Which is how most of the thugs and bullies in society today get off their inexcusable neanderthal behaviour, it all comes down to one person’s word against another and if you can lie bare-faced you will be deemed innocent.
My daughter looked like she wanted to be sick with fear then burst into tears, so I did the only thing I could do short of putting her back in the ute and bringing her home again to hide.
I had to speak up.
In short, it went like this: If anyone touches a hair on my kid’s head in these school grounds I will be back and the police will come with me.
Here’s the thing, every child has the God-given right to go to school and feel safe in those school grounds, it’s that simple, and every parent has the right to stand up for that.
If the people in charge of the school body cannot ensure that happens then, as parents, we have to stand up to protect our children from that sort of behaviour by involving the law.
The politically correct brigade will tell me I’m now the bully for delivering my own threat and, if that’s the case, it only amplifies the problem we have in our society today.
If anyone touches a hair on my kid’s head in these school grounds I will be back and the police will come with me.