DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. My 5-year-old has been in preschool and is picking up bad habits from other kids. One of her teachers explained to me that there is a kid in her class bullying and hitting my child whenever the kid is upset. When my daughter comes home from school, she in turn hits my youngest daughter out of anger whenever she gets in trouble.
I hate how she learned this bad behavior and practices it at home with her sister. I also hate that she is going through this at her school. The teacher said this has been going on for a while, but I'm confused as to why she hasn't taken the appropriate steps to stop it. What can I do as a mother to change this situation? -- No More Bullying
DEAR NO MORE BULLYING: Talk to the school administrator immediately to find out why this bullying has not been handled and reported to you earlier. You should have been told at once. It is negligent of the teacher to have allowed this to continue.
You should look for another preschool in which to place your child. It is not worth it for her to have to endure this behavior. At the same time, you need to talk to her about managing her anger so that she unlearns that bad behavior.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)