The boy, grandma, translator and I
I was able to have a conversation with the little boy who has been bullying our little girl.
We got to swim class just in time and I immediately saw the boy and an older woman standing near him. I asked if she was his grandmother to which she said "no" and that she was just a family friend. I asked her if he spoke English, to which she said "no" and asked if she could help and said his grandma was right here and she couldn't speak English either.
In as loving a fashion I could, I asked her if she could translate for me to the boy and his grandma the situation. She said yes, however, as soon as she heard the things he had done to our Miriam, her voice got strong in her translations and the grandmother was talking in a loud strong voice and the boy just stood there with a face like, "What's wrong with what I did?" Then his big brothers made some comments and the little boy started laughing and the translator and grandmother went on and on again.
The grandmother did not say anything directly to me, as I was fearful would happen, because you could visibly see that she was incredibly embarassed by the situation. For that I felt terrible, and wished I could've spoken Mandarin to let her know my true heart in bringing it up to them.
Thankfully, the boy must have learned a little something because for the most part, he kept his distance. One time he did try to get in too close but thankfully Miriam shoved him away.
The sad part is he then started picking on this fragile little boy in the class. This precious little boy is about the shyest, most inhibited little guy, who never interacts with anyone but his mom. The bully must have realized that he couldn't go near our Miriam that halfway through class he starting doing the same terrible things to this other little boy and to top it off he kissed this boy. Thankfully the mother came running over but so sad that this innocent boy now had to be caught in this mess.
My heart now aches even more about the whole situation. There are two final swim classes next week, so I am praying for wisdom on what to do next. I am also praying for the little boy, his grandma and his parents on how to appropriately help their son. AND I am praying for the little fragile boy and his mom, that she can help him handle the situation.
It's things like this that make me question if I was right to bring it up to the boy and family, though I tried as loving as I could but I fear, sadly, that something got lost in translation.
I have found it few and far between a parent who can take constructive advice on their children and not be angry with you or overly harsh with there children possibly out of embarrassment. It is a jewel when you find a likeminded parent who wants to shape the heart of their child and knows it is a process.