Alana Harris, 37, NSW shares her story below….
As my girl skipped towards her kindergarten, I felt a mixture of pride and heartache.
“My first day at big school!” she beamed.
Khaleesi, five, was a gentle soul, so I hoped she wouldn’t have trouble making friends.
“You’re going to have so much fun,” I told her.
But within a couple of weeks, I sensed something wasn’t right.
“How was your day?” I asked when picking her up one afternoon.
Khaleesi stared out the car window in silence.
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When we got home, my mum, Wendy, 57, who we live with, called out from the kitchen.
“What did you get up to today, love?” she asked.
But Khaleesi went to the lounge room with her toys, not answering.
“She’s never like this,” I whispered to Mum.
“She’ll talk when she’s ready,” Mum said gently.
That night at dinner, I tried again. “What did you play today?” I asked.
Suddenly, Khaleesi’s face crumpled.
“A boy keeps shoving toys in my face and it hurts my eyes,” she sobbed.
“When I tell him to stop, he hits me.”
I tried to stay strong, but inside I was breaking.
“I’ll speak to your teacher,” I said.
We’ll make it stop.”
Next day, her teacher assured me the boy had been punished and it wouldn’t happen again.
But it did.
For months, Khaleesi was punched, hit, and tormented by two boys in her class.
I met with her teacher and the principal repeatedly to find a solution.
Finally, one of the boys stopped, but the other wouldn’t.
My once happy girl now sat on the footpath outside school begging not to go in.
By September, the education department advised that Khaleesi should only play outside two days a week.
For three days she’d be supervised in the classroom to keep her away from the bully.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked.
It bothered me that Khaleesi was the one being isolated when she was the victim.
Towards the end of the year, she suffered a head injury after the bully pushed her over.
Khaleesi told her teacher, but I didn’t find out until she got home.
Enough is enough, I thought.
I’m pulling her out.
I registered to be a home educator and in July 2024, I was finally approved.
“Guess who never has to step foot in that school again?” I told Khaleesi.
“Thank you, Mummy,” she cried with relief.
But although she was happier at home school, the damage was done.
She wanted constant reassurance from me that she was safe.
I took her to a psychologist who diagnosed her with major depressive disorder and anxiety linked to the bullying. It broke my heart.
After that, Khaleesi began therapy, but I tried to find other ways to help.
Searching online, I came across Diary Dolls.
These dolls were designed to help young girls regain their sense of self-worth through journalling.
I ordered one right away.
It arrived wearing a backpack with a journal inside.
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“I’ve got something for you,” I said, handing it to Khaleesi.
“Her name’s Journal Jasmine.”
Khaleesi hugged the doll tightly.
I explained that writing down her thoughts would help ease her negative feelings.
Together, we read the journal prompts such as write a letter to your future self, and describe what your perfect day looks like.
The journal was designed to be her safe space, so I never read her entries, but I soon saw the difference in her.
Writing helped her offload heavy thoughts and feel positive about the future.
Hearing Khaleesi laugh again when Mum made a joke, I had to hold back tears of joy.
Soon, she was carrying Jasmine everywhere.
At the end of 2025, we sadly lost our elderly dog, Paris.
As a seasoned diarist Khaleesi processed her grief in the journal.
Slowly, my little girl is coming back to her happy self.
As well as the school curriculum, she does martial arts and swimming.
She also goes on excursions with other home school families where she’s made lots of kind friends.
We still have a long road ahead rebuilding her confidence, but the main thing is she’s smiling again.
My message to other parents is this: advocate for your child, no matter what.
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