Danny and the lonely child

I wrote 'Danny and the lonely child' for my youngest son to help him through a hard time. We lived in a small community where everyone knew everyone. As we were new to the area, my son had difficulties in the local school. He was bullied every day and often came home crying. This broke my heart as I was not able to explain to him why the other children didn't like him.

Having spent most of his school life in Greece, Nick was used to a gentler way of life. He was always the first into his classroom and the last to leave. His teachers loved him and cried when we told them he was leaving. The first week in the new house a toddler, no more than 3, pushed Nick down and forced grass into his mouth. Even though he was 8 and much bigger, Nick didn't want to hurt the younger child so just walked away. For a long time we, as a family, tried to ignore the children that terrorises us when we walked through the estate. This became too much for my soft-hearted son.

The story of Danny and the lonely child was my way of trying to help Nick see a better way. I did not want him to become as vicious as the other children. I wanted him to understand that there could be other reasons why they acted the way they did. I used Nicks experiences in the story and I believe it helped him to see that there is always hope. We have since moved, and he is happier now, but when something happens at school Nick tells me the child has an 'Imp' on their shoulder. Needless to say, he wants more 'Danny' stories!