When she asks “what’s wrong with us Eli?”
When she asks “Why do they make fun of me? They’re my friends”
When she asks “Why do they say im not what I am”
What am I supposed to say to her?
Do I tell her that people only see us as Hawaiian?
Do I tell her that when her waves or curls kick in,
she’ll get the nickname “Moana”
Just like me?
When she says “Liz I wanna be just like you when I grow up”
When she asks “Why are there no other Samoans in the school?”
When she says “They make fun of me for my food choices”
Do I tell her that her older cousin now has self-confidance problems?
That the school she loves dearly broke her older cousin because she was told that she “wasn’t brown enough” to claim her own race as hers?
When her friend asks “Why do I get picked on for my hair?”
When her friend asks “When is it my turn to finally get picked for things?”
When her friend asks “Why does she get so offended when we joke about her?”
Am I supposed to tell her friend that her hair is picked on because of how different it is to people?
Long blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles. Not common in the school she goes too.
Am I supposed to tell her other friend that she’ll never get picked first in school because of her weight? Because of her beliefs?
Am I supposed to pat the friend who makes jokes about her on the back and go “She gets mad because she thinks that she shouldn’t think its funny”? Should I sit in silence and let them keep bullying this little girl?
When an 11 year old boy wolf whistles at a little girl, what do they do?
When a 5th grader touches a little girl inappropriately, what do they do?
When MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN are doing things they shouldn’t, what do they do?
An 11 year old boy sits in ISS, or a different teachers room, doing work silently or being yeller at by the teacher.
The 5th grader gets a slap on the wrist and others are told that “It’s just how boys that age are”
The middle schoolers get a 3 month suspension, their friends acting like they were the best people ever and refusing to let them go peacefully, even if it means that they no longer have schooling for the rest of the year.
When she says…
I can’t help her.
When she asks?
I can’t answer her.
When her friends wonder?
I can barely look them in the eyes
When my parents ask how I am doing at school
I lie to them, telling them that it’s just a seasonal thing
And that it will go away soon. It doesn’t get any further than that.
And it all starts with a small innocent question from a small girl.
Just wanting an answer to her problems.
Hi, a/n. This is about the American school system, at least where I live. Its also starring my female cousin, even though her name isn't said for privacy reasons as her momma wouldn't like it.
Wc: 539
