5-6 year olds - passive bullying? (toys, parents, boys, son)

[amazin09]

I don't know what else to call it - please hear me out and I am looking for suggestions on how to deal with this.

My son is the youngest of kindergarten kids on the bus, he is also physically small, quite soft spoken and wears glasses. He told me a few days ago that he wants new toys so he can be 'cool and popular'. Refuses to wear certain sweatshirts since it seems the other boys said he looks fat in them. Reports name calling on the bus and at the playground they single him out (nothing physical, its verbal). Bus driver shrugged off my questions abruptly with 'yes but I have to drive and if you are so concerned just stop using the bus - she said she personally never sends her own kids on school bus).
Every day I hear a new story that someone said mean things, or they made jokes about him or blamed him for doing something he didn't.

I find this all incredibly stressful. So far I told my son to ignore, the others are just being silly, just because someone says something its not true, etc. the first few times there were tears, now he has learnt to ignore them some of the time, not all though. I am not the confrontational sort and not at all comfortable talking to the other parents about it.

I cannot control what other kids do, only advise mine, right? Guide me please. We still have to make it through the year. One option is to avoid the bus and drop him at school directly. I just want to teach him the right thing and learn it myself. WWYD?

[Hopes]

That's not passive bullying. Verbal is bullying too.

Call the principal. That's who you report school bus bullying to.

Since it's as bad as you say, I'd ride him to school if you have the time in your schedule.

If he's the youngest of his kindergarten class, perhaps he would benefit from being held back so he's the oldest in his class.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Hopes

If he's the youngest of his kindergarten class, perhaps he would benefit from being held back so he's the oldest in his class.

I agree with talking to the principal and with this^^^.

I also would not put him on the bus. I always felt that K was too young to ride with 5th graders.

I remember that one of mine always liked telling me EVERY terrible thing that happened that day. It was his shtick. But the kinds of things your son is reporting are too much, IMHO.

[amazin09]

Thanks for suggesting that, I will talk to the principal.
Avoiding the bus is easy to do.
Let me try that first.

[veuvegirl]

Call the principal now. Take every action you can, do not take it 'easy' on the school. Go to the school and talk to the principal, talk to the teachers and the school counselor. Follow through and make sire the school is taking action.

My son went through this for almost two years. The school kept saying they would do something, they were talking to the boys, etc. but it continued. It took pulling the teacher and the principal into the room and demanding it stop before it finally did. I can't tell you how much it hurts my soul I wasn't more forceful in the very beginning.