Looser, ugly, stupid, moron, slut, lazy, dumb a*, piece of crap, has been, retarded, fat, skinny, reject, fool, crippled, smelly, dirty, half wit, stunted, repulsive, freak, half a man, Jaba the hut.

Thoughtless, forgettable, unrealistic, unmemorable, gum on bottom of shoe, worse than gum on bottom of shoe, pile of sh*, maggot, a*face, zit face, pile of rubbish, rubbish, slow, spas, idiot, uncaring, unloving, ignorant, etc...

It doesn't matter what someone else thinks of you. That's what parents like to say. They say it in such a matter of fact manner. The reason they say this is because although these words cut them like a sword slammed into their chest they can't fathom their little angels being burned by any of these hurtful words. They say things like; Just ignore them or they just say that stuff because they don't like themselves. Even though the latter is probably true as a child all you know is those words hurt, true or not.

I have to admit I'm guilty of the same ignorant thinking. In my eyes my daughter was so special there was no way anyone would make cracks at her. So is that to say there was something wrong with me as a child that I deserved any teasing. Have children changed in the last seventeen or so years since I've been in school.

Kids are cruel. That is the sad realistic fact of it all. You could be the prettiest and smartest but still some child will find a reason to torment you. I believe this fact will remain throughout life. It's like when the lion cubs on Animal Planet play roughly with each other. They are unconsciously getting each other ready for the harsh realities of adult life.

Children are doing the same. If you can't handle life on the playground then you in no way can handle life amongst the big dogs. The early trauma's that happen on the playground help us prepare for the pain and fear we will face as adults. These interactions will help us problem solve and teach us how to face fear.

The way we handle the detrimental situations on the playground will be the basis on how we will deal with tough situations as adults. My daughter and myself managed to survive the torment of the playground. Now we realize dealing with the reality of real a*holes in this world, maybe the playground wasn't tough enough.

If I had it to do all over again I would have taught my daughter to evaluate each situation and figure out the best way to deal with playground drama. In other words I would have used those traumatic playground situations to better train her for life.

Learn more about this author, Robin Wilder.
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