Is it a Boy Thing?

I know girls often fight with words. Boys tend to get physical.

I guess writing about our drunken neighbors and Mary sending a young Michael back outside to defend himself, my mind drifted to the bullying challenges our son faced.

Two times during William’s childhood, bullies confronted him. I found out about the one in elementary school only after he had been abused for several weeks. I think he was in 2^nd grade.

He finally broke down and told me that an older boy was constantly coming up behind him and whacking him on the back of his knees causing him to fall. He would do this to William coming off a bus, waiting in line to go to class, at lunchtime, all day. No teacher saw it. He was far too cleaver. William had enough and just didn’t know what to do.

I told him that he had to take care it or it would never stop. I told him, “I give you permission to do this: Next time he does it, get up, turn around and hit him right in his nose.”

William was shocked. This was not the answer he expected.

I continued, “You might get it trouble (this was before the zero tolerance they have in schools these days) and you may have to do detention. But you have to make this stop.”

He said that he thought I would be mad at him for hitting him so he had done nothing but take it.

The very next day, the kid whacked his knees, he fell, and as he got up, he turned and looked at a very startled face. It became even more startled when William hit him squarely in the nose. The kid was shocked but he never told on him. He also never bullied him again.

Next: Bully #2