Gabby Logan was left 'devastated' after her daughter Lois made a heartbreaking admission about bullying when she returned home from school. The BBC Sport presenter, who is currently hosting live coverage of the World Cup on Match of the Day, disclosed that Lois suffered bullying when she was approximately 11 years old, leading to 'all kinds of issues and problems' at school.
Daughter's revelation on Mid.Point podcast
On her Mid.Point podcast, Gabby, 53, revealed it culminated in a devastating moment when Lois, now 20, was trying out a new school. Gabby said: 'My daughter was trying out a school that she thought she wanted to go to for the day and she said to one of the girls she was put with, she was about 11 at the time, "So who are the girls that I should avoid, who are the tricky girls" and this girl looked at her and went, "My group".'
Gabby added: 'When she told me that I thought, "That self awareness at 11 or 12 years old that you were the group that caused the problems is quite remarkable actually". But there is that sort of attraction, isn't there?'
Parental ignorance and devastation
The reason for Lois's caution, Gabby explained, was previous bullying. 'She'd experienced some bullying when she was a little bit younger and I think her antennae were really up, her radar for a few years were really up. She had been that child that was attracted to the group that seemed to be the sassy group and with it came all kinds of issues and problems.'
'As a parent I had no idea until she came home and told me what was going on, obviously, which is also devastating, isn't it? Any parent who has had a child in those situations because you think that everything is fine and obviously what you want is your child to share as soon as you possibly can, without jumping in.'
Expert advice on handling bullying
Childhood psychologist Dr Tara Proctor, who appeared on Mid.Point, explained that children frequently worry their parents will 'make a fuss'. She said: 'When they come home from school and tell you, you can get up in arms about it, and sometimes kids want that, they want you to go in and sort it out. But it's a really difficult one and I think the word "advise" is a tricky one too. I would say that one thing nobody has said to me in therapy, no young person, no adult, is, "I wish my mum had given me more advice".'
She noted that parents may need to take swift action if their child has a 'chronic bullying problem', but can frequently find themselves acting too hastily. She added: 'You've got to hold back on that feeling until you know it's really a chronic problem and just use that empathy, trying to understand it from their point of view.'
Dr Proctor urges parents to ask their children how they felt and what took place. She suggests they can then 'sprinkle knowledge' about friendships, particularly regarding an 'on-off friend', which she describes as someone who is inconsistent.
Lois's university milestone
In September, Gabby posted a photograph of herself with Lois as she accompanied her daughter to university. The presenter said she was filled with 'wonderful emotion' but admitted she shed 'a few tears'. Posting on Instagram, she wrote: 'So today was the day. And to all of you yet to drop off at University I am not going to pretend it's a breeze. It's a day full of wonderful emotion, a few tears and lots of laughter with the end of one aspect of our roles, but the beginning of a new relationship where we parents have to shift our innate desire to protect and guard and allow our kids to use the wings we have helped to nurture.'
Gabby shares Lois, alongside her twin brother Reuben, with husband Kenny Logan. The pair wed in 2001, welcoming their children four years later.
