09/07/2025
Cyprus 2025….❤️
We had an amazing time…mostly, but I’ve been sitting on a story, which I do want to share.
I really noticed Winter’s ‘ways’ on holiday, out of routine….painfully shy, no eye contact, tears…
And then, he was bullied…2 boys of similar age started teasing him, mimicking his laugh, calling him Autistic…he was crushed, I was too…he was desperate to make friends and play but these boys were cruel. The staff got involved, and suggested I did not approach the family, they didn’t care, that there had been numerous occasions that they had to intervene…
Huge thanks to the life guards, and to my beautiful friends the entertainment staff, who took Winter off to play darts whilst I sobbed onto my towel by the pool, on face time to Dave & Jack…the tears came because I was full of rage…disappointment and sadness for my sweet boy!
Winter didn’t really understand, ‘why am I different’ he said with wide teary eyes!! My answer…’you’re perfect just the way you are, we can only be responsible for the way we act, the way we respond’ but inside I was crushed…
Thank goodness for 2 amazing families we met, and who were such supportive lovely mamas….Julie , your two boys saved the day with their kindness and balance was restored! It meant I was on high alert after that, watching and listening… a tough few days. With such effort to limit Winter’s screen time, that incident made him retreat into his screen for safety, and it took effort, and these amazing other kids to pull him out of it!
I guess what I wanted to say was that it is our jobs as parent to teach kindness, inclusiveness, I understand more than most that those individuals are behaving as they have been tough too…and that made me so sad, what kinda young adults are they gonna be like if they are that cruel already?
However, Winter surpassed my expectations with his resilience after the shock of it all, his kindness…his spirit and even jumped off the top deck of the boat on his own!!!! I could not believe it, not something I thought he would do, but he did! Swimming with turtles that day will be forever in my memory and my heart….our brave boy, in so many ways!
❤️❤️🐢🐢🐢🌊🌊