Why this 8-Year-Old's Letter to Santa has Gone Viral

Like 90% of all eight-year-old girls, Suzy Boliver’s daughter wants a Squishmallow for Christmas. And an Apple Pencil. The little girl lists several items she’d love to see Santa bring, including two wishes in her letter to Santa that broke her mum’s heart.

Suzy wasn’t sure she should share her daughter’s tragic letter at first but decided it was time to start talking about it. Since she posted the list on TikTok, millions of people have viewed it and started talking.

letter to santa - bullying and more friends — Source: TikTok

Here’s why.

Two special requests

The video pans on the daughter’s letter with her requests written in blue marker in typical eight-year-old writing. She starts off with a Squishallow and Mini Toy Brands, followed by an iPad Mini and an Apple Pencil. Plus an iPhone 12 and an Air Tracks. Literally, this list could be written by my own daughter when she was eight.

However, at the bottom of the little girl’s letter there are two things that stand out:

- “more friends”
- “less bullying to me”

@theboliversI wasn’t going to post this, but you know what.. this is being 8 yrs old in 2022 and maybe we should be talking about it..♬ Get You The Moon – Kina

‘We should be talking about it’

As expected, Suzy was heartbroken reading her daughter’s innocent letter to Santa. Every parent most likely expects a few extravagant items on their child’s wish list, but this pulls at the heartstrings.

“I wasn’t going to post this, but you know what … this is being 8 yrs old in 2022 and maybe we should be talking about it,” Suzy wrote in the caption.

So far nearly 4 million people have viewed her daughter’s Santa list with thousands of people commenting on the post, offering Suzy support and sharing their own stories of bullying. Many people have admitted that the letter broke their heart and left them in tears.

One mum shared that her daughter asked Santa “to be pretty” while another seven-year-old requested “my girlfriend back” which is sad but also just a little bit adorable.

No child should feel this way

What the heartbreaking letter also did was bring up a very important topic that we SHOULD be talking about – bullying. Suzy’s daughter is only eight and to already have these feelings is just devastating. No child should feel like this. No child should ask Santa for this.

We’ve shared a story in the past of a six-year-old who was so anxious over her bullies that she would be sick to her stomach and ended up in the hospital. Six years old.

We’ve also shared this devastating story of how 13-year-old Harry drew 21 different tally marks on his hand. When his dad asked him what they were, he said he was keeping track of how many times he was bullied. 21 times in two days.

We’ve also shared too many devastating stories of children taking their own lives, or attempting to, due to bullying, both in real life and online.

Drayke was just 12 years old.
Dolly was 14.
Libby was also 13. So was Michael.

This cannot keep happening.

What we can do

While it would have been difficult for Suzy to share her daughter’s Santa list, we are so glad she did. To any parent who has experienced something like this, don’t feel like you are alone or that it is your fault. Kids are never too young to feel helpless, isolated, and alone.

Talk to your children. Check-in every single day. Ask them questions. Tell them about your day. Share experiences.

Talk to the school if your child is upset. Talk to the teacher, the principal, and the guidance counsellor.

Be your child’s biggest advocate. Look for ways to set up play dates or activities they might enjoy doing with others. Set up a penpal or reach out on your local Facebook community page for mums in your area who may have a child who would like a friend too.

Be your child’s parent, but, also be their friend. Children need friends and if they are struggling to find this, step into this role too. Play with them. Laugh with them. Play boring Minecraft with them. Make bracelets and TikTok dances. Do silly things. It won’t be forever.

Where to get help

The world of bullying is a scary one and all too often a silent one. As parents, we need to be aware of what’s happening at school as this can often be behind a child’s behaviour at home too.

Please read our previous posts on bullying, including:

Be sure to look for the warning signs that your child is being bullied so you can address it before it’s too late. And if you or anyone you know needs help, please contact: