“I Told Him To Stop! He Pushed Him Again. So, I Punched Him, Hard”: Mom Writes A Powerful Post About Her Son
Parents want their kids to get along, to love each other. After all, there are plenty of things in the world that will try to knock them down, there’s no need for them to fight with each other. However, as with most rules in life, there might be exceptions. Katie Bryant, 31, of North Carolina, believes it’s bullying.
In a viral and sincere post on Love What Matters, Katie said that she teaches her children to stand up for themselves and those around them if they’re being abused. Sadly, every now and then you can only compromise for so long before someone takes advantage of it. The art is to recognize where to draw the line.
To illustrate her point, Katie shared a story about her son confronting a bully. Continue scrolling to read it in her own words!
Image credits: Katie Bryant
Image credits: Katie Bryant
Image credits: Katie Bryant
“My son is a good-hearted defender. He is kind and thoughtful but he has never been one to stand for injustice,” Katie told Bored Panda. She also said that he’s homeschooled, and the class is only a once-a-month kind of thing.
“He hasn’t fought anyone before,” she said. The mom strongly believes that her son only hit that child as a last resort to settle the situation. “He did all the right things first.”
Katie also said that all of the boys have played together nicely after the incident.
Image credits: Katie Bryant
Image credits: Katie Bryant
Here’s what people said about Katie’s story
THIS, THIS, THIS! Violence is a LAST resort, but I think we've taken it too far the other way, leaving kids vulnerable and talking doesn't work. Frequently, asking some one to stop their behavior towards you just proves to them that it's getting under their skin, making them even more prone to do it. At some point, it is appropriate to defend ones self or others if no other recourse is available or attempts at other recourse has failed.
Well said.
This is what my parents told me to do with bullies, when I was a kid way back in the 1960s and 1970s. They said most bullies are cowards anyway and, once you stand up and challenge them, they will slink away and not bother you again. But they also said hitting a bully had to be my last resort. Luckily I never had to hit anybody, but a few aggressive actions, like slamming a desk chair to the floor, (or something similar), always did the trick. The bullies would run away full speed, because I’d shown them I wasn’t a victim and was serious about making them stop.
Violence is a last resort, but if a bully is pushing a smaller kid around then the violence stage has already been reached. It's last resort time. It should be kept minimal and girls as well as boys need to taught the sometime physical resistance is required.
True, but, where are the grown-ups in this reasoning? Are they left off the hook, with nothing to account for?
Damn straight. Rock their world if you must. Little bullies grow up to be bigger bullies.
glorytherainwing, Char Char was just referring to the story. If people are making fun of you, maybe you should directly contact Bored Panda and tell them your situation. I saw on your bio that you have autism and so assholes making fun of you could be banned from the website for harassment.
Sorry, Char Char -- I was trying to figure why glorytherainwing was reacting badly to your post. I can now see from your reaction that it has nothing to do with you -- she is probably dealing with mental health issues. I've had to work on my own issues and I hope she'll find some strategies for dealing with hers.
No worries! Just confused me a bit.
glorytherainwing, I see you have some down votes and that can certainly be upsetting. I thought that Char Char was referring to the story and not to you. However, I have never seen Char Char's posts before. Do you know Char Char from previous encounters?
What the what?
So sad but true, when I see an adult being a bully, I believe that man or women were bullies as a child, I have seen a Senior woman being a bully, I was stunned, yes, a bully as a kid !!!
Little bullies rarely need to have their worlds rocked, they need a lot of help and support to become confident enough to not resort to bullying.
Your snowflakery approach is at the root of the problem. Bullies don't stop until they are stopped ! A bully mentality thrives on exactly the logic you present and it's a failed logic. If a bully won't stop until you knock them on their ass then knock them on their ass asap and be done with it. It actually helps the once bully now neutralized rejoin society with a more gregarious approach.
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are you implying to all the assholes who make fun of me on this website?
If you say stupid things, you're going to get called on it. That's not "bullying", that's being a grownup.
Sounds like the bully's parent was interest in the truth, too. Which is good for avoid future incidents. And I agree with the boy, he couldn't leave the kid alone in the bathroom with the other kid. Violence should not be our first action (this boy tried using words) but sometimes it is the only option we have
THIS, THIS, THIS! Violence is a LAST resort, but I think we've taken it too far the other way, leaving kids vulnerable and talking doesn't work. Frequently, asking some one to stop their behavior towards you just proves to them that it's getting under their skin, making them even more prone to do it. At some point, it is appropriate to defend ones self or others if no other recourse is available or attempts at other recourse has failed.
Well said.
This is what my parents told me to do with bullies, when I was a kid way back in the 1960s and 1970s. They said most bullies are cowards anyway and, once you stand up and challenge them, they will slink away and not bother you again. But they also said hitting a bully had to be my last resort. Luckily I never had to hit anybody, but a few aggressive actions, like slamming a desk chair to the floor, (or something similar), always did the trick. The bullies would run away full speed, because I’d shown them I wasn’t a victim and was serious about making them stop.
Violence is a last resort, but if a bully is pushing a smaller kid around then the violence stage has already been reached. It's last resort time. It should be kept minimal and girls as well as boys need to taught the sometime physical resistance is required.
True, but, where are the grown-ups in this reasoning? Are they left off the hook, with nothing to account for?
Damn straight. Rock their world if you must. Little bullies grow up to be bigger bullies.
glorytherainwing, Char Char was just referring to the story. If people are making fun of you, maybe you should directly contact Bored Panda and tell them your situation. I saw on your bio that you have autism and so assholes making fun of you could be banned from the website for harassment.
Sorry, Char Char -- I was trying to figure why glorytherainwing was reacting badly to your post. I can now see from your reaction that it has nothing to do with you -- she is probably dealing with mental health issues. I've had to work on my own issues and I hope she'll find some strategies for dealing with hers.
No worries! Just confused me a bit.
glorytherainwing, I see you have some down votes and that can certainly be upsetting. I thought that Char Char was referring to the story and not to you. However, I have never seen Char Char's posts before. Do you know Char Char from previous encounters?
What the what?
So sad but true, when I see an adult being a bully, I believe that man or women were bullies as a child, I have seen a Senior woman being a bully, I was stunned, yes, a bully as a kid !!!
Little bullies rarely need to have their worlds rocked, they need a lot of help and support to become confident enough to not resort to bullying.
Your snowflakery approach is at the root of the problem. Bullies don't stop until they are stopped ! A bully mentality thrives on exactly the logic you present and it's a failed logic. If a bully won't stop until you knock them on their ass then knock them on their ass asap and be done with it. It actually helps the once bully now neutralized rejoin society with a more gregarious approach.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
are you implying to all the assholes who make fun of me on this website?
If you say stupid things, you're going to get called on it. That's not "bullying", that's being a grownup.
Sounds like the bully's parent was interest in the truth, too. Which is good for avoid future incidents. And I agree with the boy, he couldn't leave the kid alone in the bathroom with the other kid. Violence should not be our first action (this boy tried using words) but sometimes it is the only option we have