Every once in a while my oldest comes home with a story. “‘So-and-so’ kept pushing me down today for no reason.” As a parent, playground injustice really lights my torch. Memories of my own childhood bullies come to life and I can empathize easily with what he’s going through.
Whenever I got picked on I would internalize the anger and later fantasize about getting wantonly violent on their faces. I fear my kid suffers the same condition. There is a part of me that would love to come to his rescue like a paid bodyguard, but then I think about all the collateral damage that would cause. Not only would he be incessantly teased for having his dad fight for him, he would never learn how to deal with ‘difficult people’ later in life.
Once I stop seeing red, I simply tell him to take the high road by “Turning the other cheek” – though part of me still wants to teach him how to squash the other kid.
One reply on “Bullies”
Believe me, I wanted to get even with that relentless bully many times when I listened to you tell of how he tormented your life, Sean. I remember how sad it made you and I remember telling you just to ignore it. I remember the day you said, “I just can’t ignore it anymore.” I believe I told you, “I know I have said to just ignore it, but there comes a time when you just have to stick up for yourself and fight back.” I wanted you to do that from day one but I knew as a parent I should not be telling you to fight as an answer. Kids can be so cruel! I hate bullies!