TV presenter’s heartbreaking post reveals his helplessness at trying to help his bullied daughter: ‘I feel weak’
TV presenter Barry Du Bois has posted a heartbreaking message on social media, expressing the helplessness he feels as a parent trying to help his bullied child.
The 64-year-old Living Room star shared the heartbreaking post on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he described how his 12-year-old daughter Arabella was being bullied at school.
“I just watched my little girl walk out of the gate of our home, a place where I know she is safe and feels secure and at home,” Barry began.
“She goes to a place that doesn’t offer the same safety, her school. As a parent I should protect her and guide her through difficult times, but this morning I’m lost.
‘Yesterday Arabella came home from school and said she was sick. This is not the first time this has happened. She was not really sick, but instead she is being bullied again.’
Barry then painfully admitted that he didn’t know how to help her and asked his followers for advice.
“What do you say to a child when you’ve already said, ‘Don’t let them upset you. Just be nice. You’re not the horrible things they say.'”
“She said, ‘I don’t want to be special, I just want to be liked,'” Barry added.
TV presenter Barry Du Bois (right) has shared a heartbreaking message on social media, expressing the helplessness he feels as a parent struggling to help his bullied child
He also admitted feeling “weak, angry, confused and a little anxious.”
Several of Barry’s famous friends responded in the comments, offering advice on how to resolve the situation.
“My mate sent his daughter to Jiu Jitsu after she was bullied. She fell in love with it and gained another level of confidence,” wrote The Bachelor Australia star Tim Robards.
“Bullying is not okay, we need to get to the bottom of the problem, who did it and why. Talk to their parents and take action, we can’t allow this kind of behavior,” added celebrity chef Miguel Maestre.
“Sometimes you just have to go to the parents and say, ‘Your kid is bullying mine,'” added Married At First Sight’s Ryan Gallagher.
The 64-year-old Living Room star shared the heartbreaking post on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he described how his 12-year-old daughter Arabella (left) was bullied at school
Barry shared a heartbreaking message on social media asking his followers to provide suggestions on how they can help
According to a 2020 OECD report, Australian schools have one of the highest rates of bullying in the world.
To effectively tackle playground bullying, schools must promote a positive culture, implement clear anti-bullying policies, educate students and staff, and provide support to victims.
The experienced presenter and his wife Leonie have twins, Bennett and Arabella, whom he married in 1999.
The veteran presenter shares twins Bennett and Arabella with his wife Leonie, whom he married in 1999. All pictured