Bullies suck.

Our sweet Allyson had a run-in with a bully last week. Technically two, I guess, but still.

The first was at the Boys and Girls Club's after-school program - some girl Allyson says she's never talked to before and hadn't seen until last week said she should stop talking because she didn't like her voice.

The second was at school, when some brat told her something along the lines of "I'm not sure why you even exist."

Allyson, when in situations of confrontation, takes a two-pronged approach:

1. Bewilderment
2. Tears

She's a noodly, sensitive eight-year-old girl. (But, to be honest, her 37-year-old mother has the same two-pronged approach to confrontation.)

But she is a noodly, sensitive eight-year-old girl with a best friend named Ashlyn in her back pocket. Ashlyn, her mother says, has a very low tolerance for bullies and thinks of Allyson as her BFF.  So when someone messes with her BFF, watch out.

In the first situation, Ashlyn looked the girl in the face and told her, "Allyson is my friend and that is how she sounds and you can't talk to her that way. Now go away." The second situation, Ashlyn said, "That was very mean, and Allyson is my best friend. If you want to hurt her, you'll have to go through me."

First of all, I am so glad that Allyson is blessed to have someone like Ashlyn in her life. We all need that one person who accepts us as we are, genuinely enjoys our company, has very similar interests so they'll never run out of things to talk about (Shopkins, Pokemon, and Minecraft, in A&A's case), and will stick up for us if need be.

Second of all, in regard to the second situation: who says that kind of stuff?! I want to find this girl's parents and ask them how they managed to raise such an insensitive brat. Ben asked Allyson (jokingly) if he wanted her to punch this kid; Ally just said, "No! I don't want violence from my dad!"

But, neither of those solutions are very constructive.

What I ultimately told Allyson to do, though? Pray for the bullies, because they obviously need it. Praise God for a great friend like Ashlyn. And, if the bullies strike again, ignore it.

Will it work? I certainly hope so.