A Utah mother came up with a creative way to stop her stepdaughter from bullying another student. She decided to teach her a lesson that will never be forgotten by the girl, and it no doubt taught her about the true meaning of empathy.
Ally Olsen found out that 11-year-old Kaylee was the mean girl at school. Kaylee, who loves fashion, took to making fun of another girl’s clothes.
Ally received a phone call from school officials notifying her that Kaylee had been bullying a classmate about her clothes, calling them ugly” and “sleazy.”
“She said, ‘You’re ugly, you dress sleazy, you’re mean,'” Ally said. “She needed to know how inappropriate she was behaving.”
So Ally took her daughter to a thrift store, had her pick out the clothes she thought were the ugliest, and then made her wear them to school for a mere two days. In those two days, Ally was teased for her outfits, but she experienced something much more powerful than a few harsh words: empathy.
It put Kaylee in the girl’s shoes, and she felt the full brunt of the same ridicule she had been giving out. Kaylee said, “I [was] like, why would they do that to me, I’m still a normal person. It doesn’t matter what you wear.”
Ally had achieved her goal, and Kaylee had learned empathy, which made her stepmom happier. Ally said, “If she chooses to be a bully after this, then at some point in her life, she’s going to be on the other side and she’ll know what it really feels like.”
More from Opposing Views:
The National Bullying Prevention Center estimates that 1 out of every 4 students report being bullied during the school year, and that only 36 percent of children who are bullied actually report it.
NBPC also finds that students who experience bullying are at an increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties and depression, while students who engage in bullying behavior are at an increased risk for academic problems, substance abuse and violent behavior in later adolescence and adulthood.
When asked about the experience, Kaylee says she is glad her soon-to-be mom taught her this lesson in this way. She claims she learned a lot about how to empathize with others, in addition to gaining a new friend.
Watch the video report here: ABC News/Youtube
Sources: Opposingviews, National Bullying Prevention Center
dan