I often think back to my childhood in the early 80s. I was the youngest of the neighbourhood kids, all aged between 4 and 8. Our day seemed to be endless playing out in the back lane, each other's houses and gardens and being called in for meal times.
It wasn't idyllic. Life felt unsafe. I was frightened of many things, including traffic and the stories the older children would tell me. They told me there was a murderer and shut me in a box, silly things but I believed them and lived in fear.
One thing in particular stands out. There was a girl who hung out with us infrequently. When she did come out to play, she would often get picked on. What troubles me is that one girl of about 6 or 7 years old, always escalated the bullying by coercing the other child to remove her underwear, or eat mud and so on. As far as I know, it didn't escalate beyond that, the girl would go home crying.
Decades later it plays on my mind. It all seems so dark. AIBU to wonder if the bully was herself being abused? Where else would she get the idea to degrade another child in this way, or is that the nature of children when they are left to fend for themselves?