Ugh...Middle School

My oldest daughter is experiencing her first bout with teasing. A boy in her class has been mercilessly teasing her, calling her names, and, in general, making the school day miserable for her. I remember going through this in middle school and how low I felt even though I knew, deep down, that what the teasers were saying wasn't true. As a mother, it is very painful to know that your child is being hurt but that you can't kiss the boo-boo and apply a Scooby-Doo band-aid and make it all-better. It is also very difficult to figure out just what to do about it. My instinct was to go to her school and talk to the punk myself or go to his house and have a word or two with his mother. But, I knew, I couldn't do that. In the end, I spoke to the teacher, and he spoke to the child's parents. He also checks in with my daughter to see how things are going. This makes me feel a little better; at least she knows that she has an advocate at school. I told my daughter that the best thing to do is to ignore the teasing and pretend like it doesn't bother her. I also told her that this would be the hardest thing to do, but I explained that the boy just wants a reaction and if she responds or cries, then, he will continue. If he thinks that she is unphased, he will eventually get bored and probably start picking on someone else. I also told her that boys at her age (10) are immature idiots who don't know what to say or do, especially if they like a girl. I told her just to keep her chin up and know that she is the better person. Just ignore him, he is dirt, I said. Unless he touches you, then, you beat his ass!