Tori Spelling has seen the dark sides of the limelight many times throughout her career. The 46-year-old mother of five hasn't always been treated kindly by the public. To her credit, Tori has developed a thick skin in the face of criticism. That is a lesson she's now trying to pass along to her children.
In a recent Instagram post, Tori opened up about the bullying that her two oldest children have faced. The lengthy post describes her concerns about the bullying that her nearly 13-year-old son Liam and 11-year-old daughter Stella have faced at school.
"My two 1st born … they have been thru so much bullying I can no longer not share and express ourselves," she wrote. She went on to explain what Liam and Stella have endured during their time at two different schools.
Like many parents, she expresses frustrations at how her children's schools have dealt with the incidents that were brought to their attention. Tori's raw reveal of what her family has faced will undoubtedly be a comfort to other families who have undergone similar circumstances, if only to let them know they are not alone.
Tori Spelling is opening up about how bullying has affected her family. Tori's concerns about bullying are the subject of a recent Instagram post. In the post, she reveals the kind of treatment her two oldest children, nearly 13-year-old son Liam and 11-year-old daughter Stella.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum shared a sweet throwback of her two oldest children as she told their story. "My two 1st born… they have been thru so much bullying I can no longer not share and express ourselves," she wrote. She then began with Stella's story.
"Between her last year at her elementary school or the 1st year at her middle school, this human has endured enough bullying for a lifetime," Tori explained.
"Her old school in Encino, we were told she is acting like 'Patient zero' and 'she’s playing the victim.'" Tori went on to explain that despite reassurances that the school was "talking to the parents of that said bully" and that the child was "trying to change," it never happened.
"Never any consequences for his actions towards my daughter and other kids," Tori noted. She then expressed that she felt that was because of the child's family's involvement with the school.
"This child’s parents are on the board of the school. They give a lot of money to this school. Financially, we aren’t able too. So, they won."
Tori hoped that moving the children to another school would help, but she had no luck. Stella faced alleged sexual harassment from another student.
"We then moved kiddos to another school. One, that professed feelings and kindness as a priority. This time, my daughter was bullied so bad (including comments about her weight and sexual things he said that my daughter didn’t even know about)," Tori wrote. "This school did the right thing and expelled the boy but the damage had been done."
Stella now associated her negative experiences with going to school, Tori revealed. The cruel treatment she's faced has dampened her confidence, something no parent ever wants to see happen to their child.
"She now associates her education with boys that have been so horrific to her," she explained. "She wanted to empower others girls and be a business leader. She now has panic attacks and doesn’t want to return to school. This girl, 2 years ago told me she wanted to be President or work to empower women daily."
Tori then goes into sharing Liam's experiences. "He graduated last year from Encino but not without the principal telling us he was 'unmotivated' & lazy," she noted. "Poor guy thought from way he was treated by her that he was 'stupid'. Beyond not the case. He is a hilarious, smart, outgoing, and a creative kind guy!"
"Then, he started his new middle school," Tori continues. "Same school as Stella. He was bullied to the point that he developed severe emotional-based headaches and stomach aches."
While she gave the school credit for helping with Stella, she said the same wasn't true of Liam's situation. "He continued to be bullied so bad we had to leave."
Tori expresses her concerns about sharing their family experiences. After all, Tori and husband Dean McDermott have faced some pretty unkind treatment from the public themselves. She ends the post with #worriedmama, and she clearly has reasons to worry.
Tori and Dean have spoken out about their kids being bullied before. Last year, Dean shared a story on his podcast, Daddy Issues, about having to talk to Liam about online trolls. The conversation came after Tori shared a family photo and Liam discovered comments calling him and his siblings "obese."
"He saw it on my phone, and he took me aside, and he said, 'Dad, am I obese?' And I said, 'Dude, no. You are not obese,'" Dean recalled.
Dean took the chance to teach his son a valuable lesson. "I took him aside, and I said, ‘Look, you know what? People are going to say horrible things. We’re in the spotlight, Mom and Dad. People know who you are, and people are going to say nasty things. So you can fire back at them, or you can stop and think and send them some love.’"
Dean explained to Liam that the people who had to resort to writing comments about people they've never met aren't happy with themselves. He explains that they are people who are struggling with their own issues and take them out on others wrongfully.
"So I said, 'We can get mad about this, or we can take the high road, send them some love because they’re hurting,'" Dean explained. "Liam’s 12, going on 30. So, you know, he really got it."
Dean used his older son, 20-year-old Jack, as an example of what changes Liam could expect his body to go through.
"I said, 'Look at your brother, Jack. Your brother Jack is 6-foot-4, and he’s, like, 170 [pounds]. He’s, like, beautiful, tall and thin, and he went through a phase where he wasn’t,'" Dean said.
"I said, 'Remember your brother Jack when he went away to Canada and came back two months and he grew a foot?' I said, 'It’s in your DNA. Look at that. You’re not obese. You’re gonna sprout out, and you’re big and beautiful. You’re fantastic. Just never mind these haters.'"
Tori and Dean are dealing with some very serious issues affecting their kids. Their concerns about bullying are shared by countless parents whose children face similar issues. Luckily, the family has each other's back and fiercely protects each other no matter what.
