Tangent Tuesday

Drew gets called "Wobbly Kid" by some 2nd Graders. The other day as he was running to the car after school, one of these bullies stepped right in his direct path so that Drew bounced off of the kid and fell down. .. Sydney fully stuck up for her little brother & told that kid to knock it off. But I want to know what you, as a parent, would've done...

Comments

shannon said…
hmmm.....where should I begin? Maybe with grabbing his throat...followed by dragging his pretty little snot face by the hair back into the school and pin him down into a chair with my foot while I call his mother on the phone and scream.

at least that was my first thought.

i'll come up with something better.

that little punk.

just tell me where he lives.

I know someone, who knows someone, who will take care of it.
February 24, 2009 at 9:25 PM
shannon said…
After I clicked "publish your comment" I thought,

"I hope people (who don't already know me) know I was totally kidding."

(but there was some truth to it) :)

We need to do lunch. Someplace Kate and Ethan can terrorize again.
Call me.

xoxo
February 24, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Christensen Kids said…
I agree with the above comment :-) As a kid I hated when my mom tried do something about mean kids, but as a mom...I don't know what I'd do. Way to go Sydney! I think it's great she stood up to them!
February 25, 2009 at 6:40 AM
Katie said…
Shannon, I don't know you, but we'd get along!
Seriously, I've thought about this. I remember when my little brother used to get made fun of for his glasses that were about 1 inch thick back in the day. There was this one boy in particular and he did it in front of my sister and I, and that kid got a verbal lashing that I'm sure he hasn't forgotten to this day. He left my brother alone after that! :) So good for Sidney!
As a parent though, I still have too much of a temper to let that one slide, I think that I would have gotten out of the car and confronted the kid, with just enough force in my voice and the conversation ending with a warning that "I'd be watching him" so that he didn't dare try something again! Maybe call the kid's parents. One would hope that parents would be embarressed of their child's behavior and talk to them about it. Good luck!
February 25, 2009 at 6:46 AM
Lisa said…
As the parent, in front of other parents/kids not alone, I would confront the kids--with something like "No way! That is not acceptable, and it's going to stop right now. . . " something so that the bullies know that no matter what happens, you're watching them.

My daughter had some verbal sort of bullying and I saw it (hello--I'm right here!) and I told the little girl that what she was doing was mean and it was going to stop right now and nobody treats my kid that way. She had a whole bunch of excuses (I wasn't really. . .I didn't mean to. . . hello--I saw and heard the whole thing!) but I cut her off and said "Sorry, that's not how we treat each other. It's mean. You're being mean."
February 25, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Adam and Melisa said…
I would ask him for his name and phone number, followed by a phone call to his parents, and a phone call to the principal. Isn't bullying against the law? Anyway...of course there's always the chance that his parents are more delinquent than the kid himself, so that might not help. However, I would want to know if my kid was being mean to someone else! Wouldn't you? Good think he's got Syd!!
February 25, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Angie said…
Shannon, I couldn't have said it better myself. I am sure he was still on school property, I would have walked straight back into the school and asked to see the principal that minute. Anyway, way to go Sydney!!
February 25, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Trav and Linds said…
I think every parent has that gut instinct to want to give it to any kid who picks on their kid, but you have to bite your tongue most of the time. I think that is so sweet of Syd to stick up for him!
February 26, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Monica said…
I have no problem with punching a second grader in the face!! I think I would have approached the kid and definetly let the parents know.....

(I think consequences for ill behavior need to be bad enough to scare the kid out of doing it again...... too many kids behave badly because there is little fear of consequences.........I have zero tolerance for bullies!!)
February 26, 2009 at 7:05 PM
mindy said…
As I was reading before I saw you were asking advise, my thought was that I would yell at the kids. I need to read what everyone else said because I just don't know.
February 26, 2009 at 7:28 PM
Moody Family said…
Oh, I would totally tell them a piece of my mind! Maybe :) I am just that way though. We took Noah to McDonalds for dinner one night and he was minding his own business, mind you he's smaller and almost two, some kid told another kid to hit him. This kid was probably 6. Oh, I had nothing of it! I walked over there and said we don't hit! Seriously, when in a place like that parents are totally oblivious as to what their children are doing. That's great that Sydney stood up to the kid! Good for her! p.s. totally agree with Monica on this one! lol
February 27, 2009 at 1:48 PM
raedene said…
That is SUCH a tough situation... I am SO the kind of mom to give a kid a lecture. I have an inner mama bear that comes alive when someone is messing with my babies! It works pretty well, in my experience, to get right down on their level and make them look in your eyes and lay down the law. It works on some kids, but not on others. Some kids just don't give a hoot about authority, though... I think that most kids that behave that way have learned it from their parents, so it probably won't do a bit of good to talk to them... The principal or teachers can't (unfortunately) do much. And it may even make it worse. I really don't know... I'm so sorry, though. My heart is with you. :( Skyler has run into that a bit, but I think he just avoids the bullies whenever possible and somehow has escaped too much harrassment. Good luck, let us know if you find something that works! We'll probably run into that in the future! Love you tons and I hope it works itself out! xoxo
March 1, 2009 at 7:42 PM
Post a Comment