Worrying late at night, not me, yes ME!

Yesterday, I watched Hooda and Kathy Lee while I folded clothes and they did a spot where parents polled stressed over things so much at night that they couldn't sleep. For example, some parents were concerned their baby might die of SIDS or possibly love their caregiver more than the parent. I thought to myself that those were real concerns but not ones to keep you awake at night. I went through my day and it was mostly uneventful and semi-productive but as the time drew close to slumber I realized that I had just spent the last half-hour or 45 minutes discussing a very alarming matter with my eldest child, therefore putting me into a state of non-sleep.

We spoke of the issue very candidly and broke my heart to hear what the girl(s) in her 7th grade class had said about her. Isabel is my oldest daughter, 13.5, and almost always refuses help. She is very independent and seeks to address, handle and conquer her own issues; like me. It is rare we speak and she asks for my help although I'm ALWAYS obliged to offer it. 

 Without too many details I will only say that rumors and lies from jealousy, ignorance or whatever else are the underlying causes are, cruel and unfair. I use the word unfair cautiously because I am the first person to say "get over it, life isn't fair!" However, in the case of rumors to the degree in which they have been spoken are just that-UNFAIR. I worried that the school environment isn't conducive to her academic, social or personal development. I worry that the anxiety she experiences will affect her more negatively. I even went as far to tell her I would pull her from the school and into home-school or private school. She resisted me here and states that she wants to press through. I said these things from concern, fear and worry. I truly do not know where to go. We continued talking about ignoring the rumors, not being defensive but simply stating that they are in fact lies. I didn't read the parenting handbook, which I noted in my first post so here I am again, for the umpteenth time it seems, unsure of how to proceed. 

I wasn't sure what this blog would be about and I don't want all of my postings to be rants about my children but if you are a parent then possibly that could be the basis of most of your thoughts. I think back to when I was her age and try to recall situations where I was abused or was I the abuser. I recall times when I wasn't a nice girl and told things I had heard and never considered the truth or how someone else might be affected. I was simply repeating the ‘information’. I do realize that gossiping isn't a new topic and will always persist but I want to be sure I am doing ‘my best’ as a parent to protect my child(ren). I will be monitoring the situation and praying that God will protect her when I cannot.