When a father walks into his daughter’s school after receiving a call from her teacher, a familiar voice from the locker room catches his attention. Curious, he opens the door and sees his daughter standing next to a man he has never seen before.
“Father, I don’t want to go to school today!” 15-year-old Lily protested from the passenger seat of her father’s car as they approached their school building.
“Come on, Lily,” Paul tried to cheer his daughter up. “You spent the weekend doing nothing at home. Why don’t you want to go to school?”
“I want to sleep more!” Lily cried. “I don’t want to go to school.”
Paul looked at his daughter while his lips curled down. “It’s a beautiful Monday morning, Lily, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning new things in class. Your science teacher told me she had an activity planned for you throughout the week and she thinks you will you will like it!” Paul rejoiced. “Come on now. We’re almost there!”
Paul drove to his office after dropping Lily off at school. As a single parent, he wanted to do everything to make his daughter feel comfortable. He didn’t want her to feel the absence of her late mother.
When Paul got to work, his manager bombarded him with two days’ work and an impossible deadline. The single father struggled to balance his growing professional responsibilities with his personal commitments. “Life has gotten so difficult without you, sweetheart,” he said while thinking about his wife.
After the sudden death of his wife, Paul had to do everything on his own. From waking Lily to cooking dinner, he was trying to be the best parent while still being able to handle all the chores. He thought he was in control, not knowing that something was interfering with Lily at school.
“Look at her face!” Lily’s classmates laughed at her. “Looks like someone pinched her cheeks too hard!”
Meanwhile, Lily covered her face with her hands, avoiding eye contact with the boys who were bullying her. Like other teenage girls, Lily experienced changes in her body, including an outbreak of acne on her skin. But her classmates showed no mercy. She lost her confidence when they said mean things to her and made her feel insecure about her looks.
“Sir, I want to talk to you about your daughter Lily,” the teacher said.
Later that evening, Lily told her father about the bullying. “Dad!!! Everyone in my class makes fun of my acne! They call me names and laugh at me because I have these pimples!” Lily cried, pointing to the bumpy skin on her face.
“Don’t let her words fool you, honey,” Paul hugged his daughter. “Let them say what they want!”
“But father,” she complained. “No one will ever be my boyfriend or love me because of my terrible acne. I will never have a boyfriend!”
“It’s no big deal, Lily,” Paul tried to comfort his daughter. He felt clueless after learning about Lily’s feelings and didn’t know how to react. “I think it will get better if you wash your face with soap regularly.”
After confiding in her father, Lily felt like he didn’t understand her feelings. “Wish you were here Mom,” Lily thought while crying before falling asleep.
Two weeks later, Paul was working in his office when he got a call from Lily’s teacher.
“Sir, I wanted to talk to you about your daughter Lily,” the teacher said. “Do you have time for a chat now?”
“Sure,” Paul replied. He expected the teacher to talk about Lily’s exceptional performance in class, but what she said shocked him.
“I don’t know if you know this, but Lily is late for class every morning. She’s been doing it for a few weeks now,” the teacher revealed.
“What?!” Paul was shocked.
“That’s not all,” said Lily’s teacher. “I’ve noticed that your daughter is staying in the dressing room with Coach Matthews longer than the other kids. I think you should talk to Lily and see if she needs any help. We have counselors at the school who can help you with this one can help in that regard.”
“Thank you for informing me,” Paul was able to say before he hung up. He was shocked to learn about Lily’s strange behavior. “Why is she spending time with the trainer?” the concerned father wondered.
The next day, instead of driving to his place of work, Paul dropped Lily off at the school and parked in front of the building. He lied to his supervisor that he had to attend a meeting with Lily’s teacher.
Determined to find out what was wrong with his daughter, Paul entered Lily’s school. He looked around and saw a group of students playing basketball on the playground. “Where’s the coach?” he wondered.
Then Paul entered the school building and went to the cloakroom. He was about to open the dressing room door when Lily’s voice caught his attention. But before he could comprehend what she was saying, he heard a male voice say, “Now you’re going to get your ass kicked!”
Knowing the worst, Paul turned the knob and pushed the door open. He was surprised to see his daughter standing next to an unfamiliar man rubbing his fingers over her face.
“Father?” Lily took a step back when she saw her father in the dressing room.
Meanwhile, the man turned and introduced himself to Paul. “Hello! I’m Mark. Coach Matthews. Nice to meet you, sir,” he held out his arm for a handshake.
“What are you doing here with my daughter?” Paul’s eyes betrayed distrust and anger.
“I was just helping her,” Mark replied. “I saw her crying here a few days ago. That’s when I found out that her classmates were bullying her about her acne. I just put this soothing lotion on her face.”
Mark showed Paul the bottle of lotion. “My mom has been a dermatologist all her life, so I know quite a bit about skincare,” Mark continued. “When I was a teenager, I always had pimples on my face, and my classmates bullied me every day. I empathize with Lily’s situation. It’s horrible when you’re being bullied about something you can’t control.”
Paul breathed a sigh of relief when he learned the coach had no ill intentions. The loving father was glad to know his suspicions were wrong. He was glad his daughter had found someone who understood her concerns and wanted to make things better for her.
“Thank you for supporting Lily, Mr. Matthews,” Paul smiled. “I’m sorry if I sounded a little harsh earlier. This school is blessed to have a teacher as compassionate as you are. Thank you for addressing her concerns and helping her feel better. I am you so thankful!”
“I’m always there for my students. Especially those who are being bullied,” Mark looked at Lily. “I think all teachers should take care of the mental well-being of their students in addition to their grades.”
“I agree,” said Paul. “I think the world needs more teachers like you, Mr. Matthews.”
Paul then hugged Lily and apologized for not understanding her feelings. “I’m sorry I didn’t do anything when you told me how bad your acne bothers you, honey. I wish I’d taken things more seriously.”
“It’s okay, father,” Lily looked at her father. “You’re still the best dad in the world!”
A few days later, Paul took Lily to a dermatologist. There he learned a lot about teenage acne and what he can do to help Lily get better.
A few weeks later, Mr. Matthews called Paul to give him good news.
“I’m prescribing some gels and medication for her,” the dermatologist told Paul. “Please make sure she applies the gel regularly. I’m sure her acne will subside and the scars will fade too.”
“Thank you,” Paul smiled. “What else can I do to make Lily feel better? Her acne is affecting her mental health because she’s being bullied by her classmates. You know how mean teenagers can be. I just feel so helpless.”
“I can understand that. It makes me happy to see how much you are trying to improve the situation for your daughter,” the dermatologist said appreciatively to Paul.
She gave Paul some tips along the way and advised Lily not to worry about what her classmates say. “You can’t let others define your worth, sweetie. Don’t let their words get you down,” the kind doctor told Lily. “You are a beautiful girl; nothing in this world should convince you otherwise.”
After coming home from the dermatology clinic, Paul cooked dinner for his daughter and they chatted at the dining table. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, father,” Lily said. “Your support means a lot to me!”
“I’m always here for you, my child,” Paul patted her shoulder. “Besides, you don’t have to worry when you have people like Coach Matthews. He’s an asset to your school.”
Later that evening, Paul sat down at the desk in his room and took out a clean sheet of paper. He wanted to thank the coach for helping Lily and thought the best thing would be to write a letter of recommendation to the school district. Paul felt that Mark was quite underestimated and deserved more respect. He wrote:
“I can understand that. It makes me happy to see how much you are trying to improve the situation for your daughter,” the dermatologist said appreciatively to Paul.
She gave Paul some tips along the way and advised Lily not to worry about what her classmates say. “You can’t let others define your worth, sweetie. Don’t let their words get you down,” the kind doctor told Lily. “You are a beautiful girl; nothing in this world should convince you otherwise.”
After coming home from the dermatology clinic, Paul cooked dinner for his daughter and they chatted at the dining table. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, father,” Lily said. “Your support means a lot to me!”
“I’m always here for you, my child,” Paul patted her shoulder. “Besides, you don’t have to worry when you have people like Coach Matthews. He’s an asset to your school.”
Later that evening, Paul sat down at the desk in his room and took out a clean sheet of paper. He wanted to thank the coach for helping Lily and thought the best thing would be to write a letter of recommendation to the school district. Paul felt that Mark was quite underestimated and deserved more respect. He wrote:
“Mr. Matthews has helped my 15 year old daughter regain her confidence when she was being bullied by her classmates. As well as being an excellent coach, Mr. Matthews cares about his students and their mental and physical well-being. He has the self-awareness changed my daughter by boosting her morals and telling her not to let others define her worth.
A good teacher is characterized by not only caring about the grades but also the well-being of their students. Mr. Matthews has proven to be an exceptional teacher and deserves recognition. As a parent, I believe my daughter is fortunate to have him as a teacher and I want the school district to appreciate his genuine efforts.”
Paul sent the letter to the school district hoping to help the coach make a name for himself in his career. A few weeks later, Mark called Paul to give him good news.
“Sir!” exclaimed Mark on the phone. “The school district nominated me as a finalist for their Teacher of the Year award. I wanted to share the news with you because you’re one of the few to praise me. I can’t believe I made it into the top five nominees in this category!”
“That’s a great achievement, Mr. Matthews!” cheered Paul.
“You deserve every praise that is bestowed on you and I am sure that you will win this award!”
Paul never told the coach about his letter to the school district. He kept it to himself because he wanted Mark to feel special.
Weeks turned into months and Lily’s acne just got better and better. She used the medication diligently and did not let other people’s opinions sway her. She soon enjoyed her time at school because her classmates stopped bullying her. She made new friends and met a boy who told her she was beautiful.
“A boy from my school told me he was interested in me, father!” said Lily to her father. “A few months ago I couldn’t imagine having a boyfriend because I was so insecure about my looks.”
“You are the most beautiful girl in the world, Lily!” Paul hugged his daughter. “You are the light of my life and I love you more than anything!”
“I love you too, father!” Lily hugged him tightly. “Thank you for being so supportive!”
What can we learn from this story?
Always listen to your child’s problems. At first, Paul ignored Lily’s concerns about her acne, but later realized he was wrong.
Never let others define your worth. When Lily stopped listening to her bullies, their words stopped affecting her and she felt self-conscious.
Share this story with your friends and family. She could inspire them and brighten their day.
Click here to read another story about a poor boy who is bullied at school by his classmates. Things take a sharp turn when his ex-convict brother decides to teach the bullies a lesson.