Kid telling my kid she is weird--how to handle?

[nonsenseabound]

My daughter is in K3 this year. She was sad today because another kid told her she was weird. I told her to tell that kid that DD is wonderful, beautiful and great! She seemed fine after that.

My concern: my daughter is 1/2 Korean in a predominantly white town. I don't want her to be picked on because she looks "different" than her peers. For what it's worth, I don't think she looks predominantly asian so I'm not sure it's a race issue or just kids being mean in general.

Ideas anyone? I've posted a photo of my little girl so you can understand what I mean about her phenotypes.

[spankswife]

First of all she's adorable!!!

Eh, I wouldn't think too much into it. Kids say things sometimes, that mean nothing really. Tomorrow they might be best friends...

[mrssandro]

I am sure the kid was just being mean to be mean. Nothing to do with race, etc. I am a mix myself. Filipino and German and I grew up in a small town. Most of teasing I got was not related to my mixed heritage. Just keep on building your DD confidence and tell her that there isn't anything wrong with being weird. Weird just means unique and one of a kind. It's just a good teaching lesson of not calling people names that are not nice.

[hannamaren]

Lots of kids call other kids weird.
I think you did the right thing. Tell her all the time how special she is. And encourage her to spend her time with kids that make her happy. And it can also be a lesson how it hurts when we call people names. (that might be too much for a kid that age - maybe just one platitude)
My niece got teased at school (she looks like all the others). Her Mom told her to hang out with the nicer kids. Now all her friends are boys and she has said that she doesnt care what the mean girls have to say.

[dr.girlfriend]

I would just tell her that sometimes kids say things that aren't polite, and it doesn't mean they are true. Everyone is different and that's what makes them special, etc. We were at a pizza place and some kid had really thick wavy blond hair and my 3-year-old said, "That kid has weird hair" and we had a similar talk (e.g., that's not polite to say, how would you feel if someone said that, etc.).

I know what you mean, though, about being on the lookout for issues related to her race. My DH and I grew up as basically the only minorities in our area, and so we both prioritized diversity when we were looking for places to live. Other kids used to tell me my face was dirty, etc. because my skin was darker. But, like others said, kids call each other weird for all kinds of reasons, and may not even mean it as an insult.

[GailGoldie]

i think this is just an example that your daughter is ready to have talks about various things that will build her self esteem - treating everyone with respect, how everyone is different an that is good, etc.

My son will tell you "everyone is different and that is good b/c if we were all the same it would be boring!"... b/c we have been talking about that kind of stuff for years - to help prepare him for bullies, etc.

I'd talk to her about what weird can mean... "different, etc" - and how different is good - and weird is good! But that some kids might just be trying to be mean - and that if they are being mean - don't play with them, etc.