This Man’s 8-Year-Old Son Revealed He Was Being Bullied, So His Father Decided To Have A Talk With The Bully
Studies show that 1 in 4 children experience bullying at school. It’ a heartbreaking problem that doesn’t always get enough attention from school administrations and parents often have to deal with these issues on their own. This is exactly what happened to father of three, Aubrey Fontenot, from Houston, Texas, when his 8-year-old son, Jordan, revealed that he was being bullied. The school had failed to help the young boy, but luckily, Jordan’s father knew exactly what to do.
Instead of angrily confronting the bully, Tamarion, Aubrey decided to spend some time with him and just talk. The concerned father managed to get through to the kid and after a heart-to-heart conversation, Aubrey found out that Tamarion was bullied himself for not having clean clothes and being homeless. While there’s no excuse for bullying, Aubrey quickly realized that this young boy needed help. He bought Tamarion some new clothes and later seated him down with his son to have a conversation about bullying. Soon after, the two boys were playing video games together.
Aubrey posted the story on twitter and it quickly went viral as an example of how a little compassion can go a long way. In addition, the father created a Go-Fund-Me campaign for Tamarion and in 4 days $24,210 was raised for the young boy’s family. Not only did Aubrey manage to stop his child from being bullied, but he also helped turn his son’s bully’s life around! Scroll below to see how this inspiring story unfolded.
Meet Aubrey Fontenot from Houston, Texas who deserves to be called a father of the year!
After his 8-year-old son revealed he’s being bullied at school, Aubrey, instead of angrily confronting the bully, decided to spend some time with him and talk
The bully revealed that he’s bullied too for not having clean clothes and being homeless
So Aubrey decided to do the most unexpected thing – he brought him new clothes
Later the father seated him down with his son to have a conversation about bullying
Soon after, the two boys were playing video games together!
Aubrey created a Go-Fund-Me campaign for Tamarion and in 4 days $24,210 was raised for the young boy’s family in hopes to turn their life around
Here’s how people reacted
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My son was being bullied at school. Turned out, his bully was being picked on too because he was in foster care. He had nothing that he could call his own except for the clothes he had to take with him from place to place. My son (who is autistic by the way) started crying when he found out his bully's parents weren't in the picture. So he walked up to his bully before school and handed him spare gameboy he had (yeah I know..just dated myself) and a few games that he loved. After that, the boys would sit in the hallway during lunch and play. No one else picked on them because they'd stand up for each other. People said they saw the two of them smiling more and more. The foster kid was adopted by his foster grandparents and the moved a year later. Last I heard from the grandparents everything was well and their grandson was making good friends. My son learned that, sometimes the key to stopping a bully is to find out why they are doing it.
I applaud this man. Too often, parents trying to help their bullied children don't see the bigger picture. Punishing the bully isn't enough. It's short-term. Sometimes, you have to look into why something is happening to prevent it from happening again. I wish there were more people like this man out there.
Omg, sitting here like i am chopping mad onions. Just goes to show how children project certain uncontrollable life circumstances and this man had the knowledge and courage to face it through for the benefit of everyone. Oh such an A+++ move! How awesome.
What a wonderful piece, always tell my daughters to be grateful for what they have compared to a lot of their friends. Their father may not be around but they have stability, a roof over their heads and they've never had to go to bed hungry.
I was constantly bullied as a kid by lots of other kids and I don't think any of them was homeless.
No one climed all bullies are homeless. But this story does make you wonder how many of them might be turning on others because they are being mistreated themselves.
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In my experience as a child psychologist, 90% of the time, both bullies and bullied are trying to cope with a problem and they don't have the support or skills yet. Teaching kids how to support others, speak up for themselves and be less "us vs them" is the best way to cope with most of these problems. Brilliant dad game!
I'm still learning to choose kindness, even when angry. Stories like this one help motivate me to do better, to be better.
What a great person you are. My so. Was being bullied, by a child with SEN . He used to hit and bite Home. I couldn’t get through to the school , they didn’t care less. So I told my son to make friends with him, as the other boys wouldn’t play with this chid. My son did, and made sure to include him at play time. Now this child is behaving better in school because my son took him into his circle, and asked his friends to be kind to him, even though he had bit and hit them also. But this child had no one, I knew this. Last week at a play in school this child stood up and spoke a few words, I couldn’t help but think My little boy helped get him there. ❤️
This is a great story. There is zero good reason for bullying. It's not "natural", as some might think. However, some kids are mean due to upbringing, not due to "acting out". My son was not just bullied, but assaulted in school, to the point where he spent a summer crying saying he just couldn't go back. If an abused wife can have PTSD, certainly an abused kid can, doesn't matter who is abusing them! And most of the kids abusing him were rich kids who, according to my son, "Have parents who never talk to them." That was his analysis of the situation. Rich, neglected, awful, self-centered, violent, unempathetic kids, who should have been in the juvenile detention system. You don't stab someone or chase a kid around with a running sander and get away with it! Oh, wait, yes, you do. You do get away with it, because it's like Lord of the Flies in our suburban high schools.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing that he (and others) are helping this family etc. But imo it's a sad excuse to bully others because you are being bullied yourself. I've been bullied for most of my kid/teen years and I've never bullied anyone because I know how it makes me feel and I wouldn't want to do that upon anyone else.
Fantastic! Big ups to you Mr. Fontenot for "doing that Dad thing" (as we call it in our family) as you did by showing young Tamarion that he was worth spending time with and that he was worth getting to know! Bless you also for making him laugh & showing him that it was ok to relax, be himself & just laugh & have some fun! Something that can often be so difficult & hard for many kids going through trying, difficult times over which neither they nor adults have any control over. Keep spreading the happiness & fun!!!
Yup, you never know why a bully is bullying. Sometimes they are the victims of today's society. Very difficult to judge.
My son's bully is a kid that he has known since he was in kindergarten. Sometimes this kid bullies him and sometimes he doesn't. this year has been bad. The BUlly has been calling my son names (fat, stupid etc.) so far this year it has not been physical but it has in the past. I know the kid comes from a family with older siblings and I have told my son that the boy is probably being bullied at home by his brothers and I am sure the boy is jealous because my son has always been very smart and ahead of his class, is an only child and while he doesn't get everything he does get nice things. I try to teach my son to handle the bullying himself (until it gets physical then I intervene) For the most part it helps My son has learned to avoid the bully when he is being mean and to only hang out with him when he is being nice, which I am sure coincides with situations at home.
Wow! Amazing story. How did the dad contact the bully and suggest to hang out? Isn't that hard for a grownup to do, meet up with a non-related kid? And yeah, usually bullies are bullied themselves. When I was in school I (and many other kids) were bullied by one guy. Found out he was bullied by his big brother..
I know I would have gone screaming or call on the Family. To being that kind and so very smart, says it all. My compliments. You have made my day, THANK YOU!!!!!
What a wise man! He has lessons to teach those of us who think only of revenge or punishment. There are usually good reasons for bad behaviour...take the time to find out what they are. This father sets an example for us all.
I did this for my 2 granddaughters they were been bullied a 2 different times I went to their schools 2 hours away and had talks with their bullies, no screaming or yelling just a talk it worked and the bullying was stopped. it can be done
More than Father of the Year, Mensch of the Year. He showed us what all of us can be, should be.
If I was a parent today and this happened I can say for certain that I would have gone about this a similar way. That being said, speaking as someone who was bullied badly (legs broken, months spent in hospital, long term health issues as a result) I would not want the girl who bullied me so badly treated with such kindness. She continued to beat me up into adulthood. She was older than me when she broke my leg. I was 8 and she was 13. To make it worse, one day she was cycling towards me with her mother and sister. You'd think she would try to hide her behaviour but nope. It was clear who she got that from because her own mother kicked me in the stomach as they cycled by. HER MOTHER. I was 15 when that happened, and to this day, I still have concerns that she may do it again. I'm 37 now, and yes, I know I should not worry about things like this, and I don't usually but if I have to go in to an area for work where I know she lives, it's there on my mind.
This is definitely an incredible article. However, much of the time, the child is acting out because they are being abused by their parent/parents. What do you do then???
You are a wonderful man and father. You changed that family's lives. God bless you
kudos to this young dad....instead of doing what a lot of men seem to do now....fly off the handle and become angry and aggressive and have things spiral out of control and end badly, he actually took the time to really sort it out. Well done all around !
Sometimes we forget talking, asking and, more important: listening. This awesome father did what was the frist thing to do: he listened to this boy and, even better, helped him. There´s always a reason behind an specific behavior.
you see, he found the problem, but instead of condemning the problem he looked at the problem, he questioned the problem and ultimately learned and helped fix the problem. If only all of life's problems could be approached in the same way we might end up fixing some of them.
I applaud this man. Too often, parents trying to help their bullied children don't see the bigger picture. Punishing the bully isn't enough. It's short-term. Sometimes, you have to look into why something is happening to prevent it from happening again. I wish there were more people like this man out there. HERE► www.jobsthings.com
This is really nice but why is there a need to expose your good deeds on social media?- If you noticed it seems that he make sure he took evidence of the whole ordeal from the kids sitting at the dining table. Sometimes doing good deeds in private is just as good. We have come to an era where we must show off to be petted for our good deeds. That other kid is a minor did he had permission to post his pic online I wonder?
I kind of agree. I think posting the story is a good idea because exposure will make this more of an everyday thing, normal and accepted bs punishing. But posting the pictures is not something I would do.
Load More Replies...
My son was being bullied at school. Turned out, his bully was being picked on too because he was in foster care. He had nothing that he could call his own except for the clothes he had to take with him from place to place. My son (who is autistic by the way) started crying when he found out his bully's parents weren't in the picture. So he walked up to his bully before school and handed him spare gameboy he had (yeah I know..just dated myself) and a few games that he loved. After that, the boys would sit in the hallway during lunch and play. No one else picked on them because they'd stand up for each other. People said they saw the two of them smiling more and more. The foster kid was adopted by his foster grandparents and the moved a year later. Last I heard from the grandparents everything was well and their grandson was making good friends. My son learned that, sometimes the key to stopping a bully is to find out why they are doing it.
I applaud this man. Too often, parents trying to help their bullied children don't see the bigger picture. Punishing the bully isn't enough. It's short-term. Sometimes, you have to look into why something is happening to prevent it from happening again. I wish there were more people like this man out there.
Omg, sitting here like i am chopping mad onions. Just goes to show how children project certain uncontrollable life circumstances and this man had the knowledge and courage to face it through for the benefit of everyone. Oh such an A+++ move! How awesome.
What a wonderful piece, always tell my daughters to be grateful for what they have compared to a lot of their friends. Their father may not be around but they have stability, a roof over their heads and they've never had to go to bed hungry.
I was constantly bullied as a kid by lots of other kids and I don't think any of them was homeless.
No one climed all bullies are homeless. But this story does make you wonder how many of them might be turning on others because they are being mistreated themselves.
Load More Replies... In my experience as a child psychologist, 90% of the time, both bullies and bullied are trying to cope with a problem and they don't have the support or skills yet. Teaching kids how to support others, speak up for themselves and be less "us vs them" is the best way to cope with most of these problems. Brilliant dad game!
I'm still learning to choose kindness, even when angry. Stories like this one help motivate me to do better, to be better.
What a great person you are. My so. Was being bullied, by a child with SEN . He used to hit and bite Home. I couldn’t get through to the school , they didn’t care less. So I told my son to make friends with him, as the other boys wouldn’t play with this chid. My son did, and made sure to include him at play time. Now this child is behaving better in school because my son took him into his circle, and asked his friends to be kind to him, even though he had bit and hit them also. But this child had no one, I knew this. Last week at a play in school this child stood up and spoke a few words, I couldn’t help but think My little boy helped get him there. ❤️
This is a great story. There is zero good reason for bullying. It's not "natural", as some might think. However, some kids are mean due to upbringing, not due to "acting out". My son was not just bullied, but assaulted in school, to the point where he spent a summer crying saying he just couldn't go back. If an abused wife can have PTSD, certainly an abused kid can, doesn't matter who is abusing them! And most of the kids abusing him were rich kids who, according to my son, "Have parents who never talk to them." That was his analysis of the situation. Rich, neglected, awful, self-centered, violent, unempathetic kids, who should have been in the juvenile detention system. You don't stab someone or chase a kid around with a running sander and get away with it! Oh, wait, yes, you do. You do get away with it, because it's like Lord of the Flies in our suburban high schools.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing that he (and others) are helping this family etc. But imo it's a sad excuse to bully others because you are being bullied yourself. I've been bullied for most of my kid/teen years and I've never bullied anyone because I know how it makes me feel and I wouldn't want to do that upon anyone else.
Fantastic! Big ups to you Mr. Fontenot for "doing that Dad thing" (as we call it in our family) as you did by showing young Tamarion that he was worth spending time with and that he was worth getting to know! Bless you also for making him laugh & showing him that it was ok to relax, be himself & just laugh & have some fun! Something that can often be so difficult & hard for many kids going through trying, difficult times over which neither they nor adults have any control over. Keep spreading the happiness & fun!!!
Yup, you never know why a bully is bullying. Sometimes they are the victims of today's society. Very difficult to judge.
My son's bully is a kid that he has known since he was in kindergarten. Sometimes this kid bullies him and sometimes he doesn't. this year has been bad. The BUlly has been calling my son names (fat, stupid etc.) so far this year it has not been physical but it has in the past. I know the kid comes from a family with older siblings and I have told my son that the boy is probably being bullied at home by his brothers and I am sure the boy is jealous because my son has always been very smart and ahead of his class, is an only child and while he doesn't get everything he does get nice things. I try to teach my son to handle the bullying himself (until it gets physical then I intervene) For the most part it helps My son has learned to avoid the bully when he is being mean and to only hang out with him when he is being nice, which I am sure coincides with situations at home.
Wow! Amazing story. How did the dad contact the bully and suggest to hang out? Isn't that hard for a grownup to do, meet up with a non-related kid? And yeah, usually bullies are bullied themselves. When I was in school I (and many other kids) were bullied by one guy. Found out he was bullied by his big brother..
I know I would have gone screaming or call on the Family. To being that kind and so very smart, says it all. My compliments. You have made my day, THANK YOU!!!!!
What a wise man! He has lessons to teach those of us who think only of revenge or punishment. There are usually good reasons for bad behaviour...take the time to find out what they are. This father sets an example for us all.
I did this for my 2 granddaughters they were been bullied a 2 different times I went to their schools 2 hours away and had talks with their bullies, no screaming or yelling just a talk it worked and the bullying was stopped. it can be done
More than Father of the Year, Mensch of the Year. He showed us what all of us can be, should be.
If I was a parent today and this happened I can say for certain that I would have gone about this a similar way. That being said, speaking as someone who was bullied badly (legs broken, months spent in hospital, long term health issues as a result) I would not want the girl who bullied me so badly treated with such kindness. She continued to beat me up into adulthood. She was older than me when she broke my leg. I was 8 and she was 13. To make it worse, one day she was cycling towards me with her mother and sister. You'd think she would try to hide her behaviour but nope. It was clear who she got that from because her own mother kicked me in the stomach as they cycled by. HER MOTHER. I was 15 when that happened, and to this day, I still have concerns that she may do it again. I'm 37 now, and yes, I know I should not worry about things like this, and I don't usually but if I have to go in to an area for work where I know she lives, it's there on my mind.
This is definitely an incredible article. However, much of the time, the child is acting out because they are being abused by their parent/parents. What do you do then???
You are a wonderful man and father. You changed that family's lives. God bless you
kudos to this young dad....instead of doing what a lot of men seem to do now....fly off the handle and become angry and aggressive and have things spiral out of control and end badly, he actually took the time to really sort it out. Well done all around !
Sometimes we forget talking, asking and, more important: listening. This awesome father did what was the frist thing to do: he listened to this boy and, even better, helped him. There´s always a reason behind an specific behavior.
you see, he found the problem, but instead of condemning the problem he looked at the problem, he questioned the problem and ultimately learned and helped fix the problem. If only all of life's problems could be approached in the same way we might end up fixing some of them.
I applaud this man. Too often, parents trying to help their bullied children don't see the bigger picture. Punishing the bully isn't enough. It's short-term. Sometimes, you have to look into why something is happening to prevent it from happening again. I wish there were more people like this man out there. HERE► www.jobsthings.com
This is really nice but why is there a need to expose your good deeds on social media?- If you noticed it seems that he make sure he took evidence of the whole ordeal from the kids sitting at the dining table. Sometimes doing good deeds in private is just as good. We have come to an era where we must show off to be petted for our good deeds. That other kid is a minor did he had permission to post his pic online I wonder?
I kind of agree. I think posting the story is a good idea because exposure will make this more of an everyday thing, normal and accepted bs punishing. But posting the pictures is not something I would do.
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