Mean Girls
“The Lord is good; a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7 NLT
The words on FaceBook glared back at her. “You are so ugly! You are fat, annoying and I hate you!” Lindsay just sat there, starring at the screen. “What did I say? What did I do?”
It’s almost time to head back to school and with it new experiences for our kids – both good and bad! Maybe the type of situation with Lindsay has happened to one of your children or in some way they faced the type of flat out rejection that Lindsay did. I recently spotted a t-shirt at the mall that read “You’re no one until someone talks about you.” Growing up today in a world where “Mean Girls” and “Gossip Girl” are our movie and tv titles, it comes as no surprise that mean defines many girls today. As a mom, what can we do when our children’s hearts are crushed?
Feelings of being unaccepted are definitely not new. In Song of Solomon 1:5, we are introduced to a young girl who feels the same way “Don’t look down on me because I am dark…” The Message. She felt rejected. Those feelings are so opposite of what our children want to feel. They want to be accepted! For me, ministering to my child starts by knowing that I am in. When I know that I am accepted by the Lord, it puts me exactly where I need to be to give to my child. Trying her hardest to hold back the flood of tears building in her eyes, my daughter who was 5’10” as a sixth grader got off the bus. Once again she had been made fun of for her height. On that day, her youth pastor wasn’t there. Her teacher, counselor or small group leader wasn’t there. But her mom was. I began telling her how her Father saw her. “My beloved is mine, and I am His…”Song of Solomon 2:16a (NKJV). “You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.” Song of Solomon 4:7b The Message. “The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.” Psalm 45:11 (NIV). These are the types of verses I poured back into my daughter. I put them everywhere so that together we can read them over and over and over again. When we feel rejected, these words remind us that we are, in fact, accepted!
What are some ways that you have helped your child with mean kids? We would love to hear your story and gain wisdom from your experiences? Just click on “comment” below and share!
Hey Lynn! My boys have really never dealt with "mean kids" verbally but physically. One instance was Child #1's first year in high school, where a bully bigger than he, would purposefully walk into him each day while going to the locker. It finally got on my son's last nerve, and he shared it with us. We prayed about the situation and finally, the bully stopped. Child#1 never said a word to him. I'm just thankful that it stopped, and yet glad that my son had this experience so that he will be able to help others in this situation if it were to happen. I hope that makes sense!!
Great post!!
Hugs!
Susan