Eight-year-old asks Santa to help his bullied sister

If your kids won't talk to you about being bullied, there's always a chance they'll confide in Santa.

Karen Suffern, a single mother of eight-year-old fraternal twins, Ryan and Amber, wanted to get a jump-start on budgeting for this coming Christmas. She asked her kids to each write a letter to Santa so she would know how much to put aside for the holidays.

When Suffern read the letter her son Ryan had penned, she expected to find the typical wants of a young boy – toy cars and video games. But what she found brought the North Carolina mom to tears.

"Dear Santa," writes Ryan. "I wanted a remot contor [sic] car and helicopter but I do not want that anymor [sic]. Kids at school are still picking on Amber and its [sic] not fair because she doesnt [sic] do anything to them and it makes me mad. I prayed that they would stop, but god is bisy [sic] and needs your help."

Suffern tells CNN that Amber has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mood disorders. An emotional eater, the Grade 3 student weighs about 140 pounds. While Suffern suspected some teasing took place on the school bus, Amber had never let on that she was bullied.

"I try to build up my daughter's self-esteem and tell her she is beautiful, but people say hurtful things to me, because I also have a weight problem, and that hurts me," Suffern tells CNN. "I can't imagine what she goes through."

Suffern posted the letter on Facebook, where it was eventually shared on a CNN iReport. She hopes her son's letter will bring attention to the national bullying problem.

"If my kids don't call names and pick on others, I would expect other parents to teach their kids to be respectful, too," she says. "There have been times my kids would point at others and say, 'why is her hair so strange' and things like that, and I would say, 'You know, people are different, and that is just the way they are.'"

Now that Suffern is aware of the bullying problem, she has Ryan update her on any bullying incidents in the classroom, and is now able to discuss the bullying with Amber's teachers and some of the attackers' parents.

What is the sweetest thing you've ever witnessed a child do for a friend or sibling? Share the love in the comments below.