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If she is today a superstar in the music industry with more than 160 million albums sold around the world, Beyoncé did not have an easy start. During her childhood, she was bullied by her peers, as reported by her mother. How do we overcome this? The answers of Mathilde Royol, psychologist.
In an interview for Vogue magazine, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother spoke about her daughter. Surprisingly, she reports that the interpreter of Crazy In Love was “very shy” during her childhood and that she was even “a little harassed” by her peers.
“I couldn’t have been more proud of her.”
Beneath her shyness, however, Beyoncé was already a determined young child. As her mother recounts in the form of an anecdote, she did not hesitate to come to the defense of a comrade. “The day she defended someone, she didn’t defend herself, she defended him. I get emotional talking about this. I couldn’t have been more proud of her.” confides Queen B’s mother again.
What is the impact of bullying during childhood?
Co-author of the book “My child is being harassed, what should I do?”psychologist Mathile Royol explains the impact of harassment suffered during childhood.
“The consequences of harassment school in children are multiple: psychological difficulties, anxiety, depressionschool phobias… But also somatic problems, such as headacheunexplained stomach aches that start suddenly” she explains.
The child’s social life is disrupted. “Due to his rejection of the group, this unfortunate situation will be part of his development until adulthood. He often suffers from low self-esteem and can have difficulty finding his place, professionally, but also in his family, romantic and friendly life. In reality, all spheres of daily life are affected.”
Beyoncé isn’t the only star to have been harassed at a younger age. Singer Mika was also made fun of by his classmates during his childhood. This type of event can sometimes give the child strength to rebuild his or her life. “Some people, like the singer Mika, have managed to rebuild themselves as an individual, despite being bullied at school. To avoid being demolished by an entire group, they have taken the counterweight and even gone so far as to make it a “trademark” of their personality.” explains Mathilde Royol.
“Despite everything, we cannot generalize: certain children or adolescents will, for life, feel a feeling of shame with a traumatic impact on their mental health as adults.
To help a bullied child, the psychologist advises helping the child “to develop several areas of sociability. For example, if he is rejected at school, try to maximize social ties with family (little cousins), friends and friends’ children… This range of connections will allow him to be comforted in his personality.“.
Slide: School bullying: these signs that should alert us as parents