Dear Blackheart,
My son is ten, and he’s having trouble with a bully at school. Sometimes he comes home crying because of this bully, and in one extreme situation, I had to sit in emergency with my son for four hours, because we thought he might have a broken rib from being punched. It turns out it was only badly bruised. This other kid is always being sat down in the office and given detentions, but nothing more. They say he’s too young for anything to be done about this, and I’ve talked to several other parents about this boy, and they say their children are also afraid of him. How are we supposed to protect our children?
Worried Montreal Mother
Dear Worried Mom,
Frankly, I find it appalling that this little turd hasn’t been expelled for this. Have you spoken to the principal about your ordeal at the hospital? If you have, and he didn’t do anything, try going one level higher, to the school board. This isn’t right.
One way you yourself can help protect your son is to help him learn to protect himself. You can’t always be there to step in for him, and neither can you expect any other adult to do it. Try signing him up for some martial arts classes. It’ll give him more confidence, with the added bonus that he’ll shortly be physically able to deal with this bully himself. I know you don’t fancy the thought of your son having to stand up to this monstrous kid, but clearly passive resistance isn’t sparing him any injuries. Bullies may tend to be bigger, but they’re also lazy cowards, and if your son becomes too difficult a target, the bully will move on.
Trust me, this is how I dealt with bullies in my childhood, (though admittedly I was a little older, 13), and I was just dying for a chance to pummel one particular bully. He sensed the change in me immediately and never gave me that chance. And nothing can take away that moment of freedom your son will feel when this bully finally backs down.
