Growing up just SUCKS sometimes.

For the past couple of months Kaylee has been having to deal with one thing at school that any mother dreads for her daughter: Mean girls.
All you ladies probably know exactly what I am referring to.
It's the group of kids with the bossiest, and snottiest one as the 'ring leader' and of course 'the posse' which is always in tow.
The girls who like to act as though they are 'it' and their mission is to make every other girl around them miserable.

Let me take a minute to describe my daughter (for those of you who don't have the pleasure to know her as well as I do.)
Kaylee is the kid who loves everyone, and when I say everyone.... I mean everyone.
She's the type of kid who want's to be friends with every single person in her school.
She doesn't understand why girls like drama, and she always asks me: 'why can't everybody just get along mom?'
She's the outgoing girl, always trying to make sure that everybody around her is comfortable, and feels included.
She's the girl that I wish I would have been at her age.

Kaylee is part of the 'popular' crowd. Kinda sad actually that in the 4th grade there are already these categories. But, unfortunately this is the world we live in.
Kaylee hangs out with the popular girls, but also wants to hang out with all the other kids in her grade.
However, this is the first year, that this has become a problem: Her 'friends' don't approve.

Kaylee has been sticking up for the girls being picked on, and you know what that means.
These so-called friends of hers have turned on her.
This has been an 'on and off' thing for the last 8 weeks, and yesterday was the final straw for Lee and I.

After Kaylee came home from school in tears once again, and after her receiving mean texts all evening, Lee and I decided it was time for her to cut ties with this girl.

We sat her down and had a heartfelt talk with her. All about respect, and verbal abuse and how she should have higher standards for herself when it came to choosing her friends.
How she shouldn't settle for being treated this way, and the fact that she is a better person and above all of this.

She agreed with us 100% but of course - it was hard on her.
After a lot of hugs, more tears, and talking, she told us she was just tired of feeling this way.

She sent this girl a final text message saying she was no longer choosing to be her friend.
I wrote their teacher (who has been supportive, involved, and in touch with me about these issues for a long time) about our newest 'plan' to stop the bullying.

Kaylee was told to ignore this girl today.
No being mean, no being disrespectful, no nothing. Just to ignore her.
(Please don't be mistaken though. I know that this is wayyyyy easier said than done.)
I did my best to prepare her for what is to come, and I hope that she can carry it out today.
She's stronger and way tougher than she gives herself credit for.

As a mother, I only want what is best for my only girl.
It's heart-breaking to have to go through this with her.
She's bright,  funny, spunky, and just beautiful - inside and out. Anyone who can't appreciate that, doesn't deserve to call her friend.

I don't want Kaylee to ever lose who she is, and I think that even though this will be a tough thing for her to do, I think that it will make her a stronger person, and in the long run, hopefully she will feel better about herself.

This morning she woke up feeling nervous, and doughting herself a little, which I totally expected.
(I was 9 years old once too - ya know?)
I tried to explain to her that she was going to feel those emotions, but that she was doing the right thing.
There comes a point in your life when you have to stand up for yourself, and not let people take advantage of you anymore.
I am hoping that if we instill these things in her now when she is young, that she won't have to worry about it as much when she is older.

I kept saying: 'you are better than this. Stick with the girls who treat you right Kay.'
Over and over, and over.

Ironically, when we got in the car this morning her favorite song right now, 'Firework' by Katy Perry came on the radio.
It's a song about feeling defeated, and ran down, and how life's situations can really take it's toll on you.
It talks about staying strong, reminding yourself that you are a beautiful person and fighting your hardest to show people that. (In my oppinion, a very impowering song for girls out there.)
She smiled and said: 'Wow, mom. Weird right?'

We cranked it up, sang it as loud as we could, and when I dropped her off - she was smiling.

I pulled out of her school in tears, with my emotions running wild.
I am so scared for her and extremely proud of her at the same time.
I'm also a total wreck today, wondering if she's okay and hoping that she is.

Whoever thought that being a Mom could be this hard?
It amazes me at how much these situations affect me.

You think that you can protect them, and keep them safe from the outside world, and it's just not true.
I know that this is just a little 'speed bump' in her long life that is ahead of her but it's the first one for her and honestly - a hard one for this Mom to handle.