Don’t be a Bystander, be a Upstander

When I was little, my sister (she prefers to stay anonymous) would always play outside with her friends. Her friends were “popular”, and they would always hang out at the park with her under certain circumstances. For example, if she brought candy, or brought pencils that they could use. If she didn’t bring these things, she would get kicked out of the friend group for the day, or even hurt.
When my mom, or I asked her how she was feeling, she would always lie about it, and say that she had an amazing day. My mom started noticing that my sister would always take things. It started with little things like a pack of candies now and then, but then it grew, like my mom’s earrings, or her necklaces. My mom would question my sister about it, but my sister would shake it off, and say that she just wanted to wear it for the day, and our mom was too busy to hear her ask beforehand. Also, when my mom would ask her how her bruises showed up, and she said that she just walked into something, or it appeared without her noticing.
Finally one day after she came with a black eye, she told us that her friends were bullying her. She said she was too scared to tell us before, because the girls said that if she said anything they would hurt her more. My mom decided to let my sister move schools, and talked to the friend’s parents about the bullying.
In the end, she wanted to share the message that you should speak to a trusted adult if you are getting bullied, even if you have a potential threat, because the trusted adult will always figure a way out.