Mum-of-three, entrepreneur and Jean Yip-heiress Cheryl Wee, 36, took to her Instagram over the weekend to share her thoughts on bullying after revealing that her firstborn, five-year-old Marc, had encountered some bullies at his tennis lessons.

She also asked fellow mums for advice on how to handle the situation, after sharing what she and her husband, Roy Fong, intend to do. Cheryl and Roy have three children — Marc, Emma, three, and Elly, two.

Cheryl first shared that Marc returned home from his tennis lessons one day, and told her husband that there were two older boys that “told Marc they wanna tape him to the tennis fence and tape his mouth.”

Cheryl estimated that the boys should be about eight to 10 years old, and added that she’d had a similar encounter with one of the boys too.

“Just a few weeks ago, this same boy and his mom happened to be in the lift with us going up to tennis class. This boy saw Marc and he said [something] like "Urghhh you again. I don't wanna play with you, I don't like you." His mom didn't say anything. Marc stared at me and shrugged. (sic)” Cheryl wrote.

She went on to recall how she saw the boy teasing Marc for “having baby sisters” just last week, and how he behaved arrogantly when Cheryl asked if he had baby sisters himself. 

Being a parent sure is hard.

“I understand bullying and mean talk is all part and parcel of growing. And we can't be there 24/7 with our kids. Nor can we stop others from being how they are or how they're raised. But we're also teaching Marc and Emma how to stand up for themselves,” Cheryl wrote, adding a text box for followers to chime in on how they intend to teach their kids to deal with bullying.

Cheryl added that she was a victim of bullying herself, and that she vividly remembers how her older sister, Rachel, stood up for her back then.

“My parents raised us to be independent and to learn to fend for ourselves and each other. Similarly, this is how we've raised our kids. To treat everyone with kindness, and help those in need or weaker than you. But step on my toes and I won't be polite,” she concluded.

And it seems like Cheryl is doing well when it comes to imparting these same values to her children. 

Some food for thought for fellow parents out there.

In another series of IG Stories posted today (July 3), she said Marc told her that he “didn’t feel sad” when the boys were mean to him 'cos “God is with me”. 

Cheryl added: “We do not condone violence at home and constantly remind and show them we need to be compassionate to others. But if anyone bullies them, we teach them to tell them to say very firmly: 'Stop doing that I don't like it.' Then tell an adult/teacher/coach and us.”

Finally, Cheryl wrote that she will be sending her kids for self-defence classes, so that they will know how to stand up for themselves if the bullies get physical.

“We don’t go around bullying people, but don’t mess with us,” Cheryl stressed.

From left to right: Roy, Emma, Marc, Cheryl and Elly.