Melinda Morley

I have probably never been so mad in my life! -No exaggeration there.

My son Po has been bullied by a kid in our neighborhood. It has gone on for quite awhile now. The kids smacks him in the head. (He’s just kidding around, though.) Sometimes he tackles Po to the ground and sits on him. (He’s overweight and Po can hardly breath.) But that is all in fun, too. Right? I mean boys will be boys. (Sarcasm is oozing from my fingers as I type.)

 While boys like to wrestle and play around and rough house, Po is rarely aggressive or violent. He asks this boy to stop. No good. We talked to this boy’s parents. No good. We tried to ignore it. No good.

Finally, Po came home from Scouts today with marks on his neck. Here is the converstation:

Hi Mom.

Hey, Po.

My neck hurts. (I see reddish purple marks.)

Wow, was you coat rubbing your neck or something?

No, K tried to strangle me with the seatbelt.

And then I lost it. I couldn’t talk. I could hardly breathe. I have never been so mad in my life. This bully strangled Po with the seatbelt and left marks -bruises!

I was too irate to talk. I found the camera and documented the bruises and so help me, if that kid so much as lays a finger on my boy, I am pressing charges.

Cowboy made a phone call. -to K’s mother. It was enlightening.

She was offended.  She was defensive. She said she’d never let K go near Po again. She even threatened to let K go inactive so that our boys wouldn’t be together in Deacons and Scouts. She even threatened to put up a For Sale sign.

Cowboy told her that none of that was necessary. K just needed to stop bullying. K and Po could be f-r-i-e-n-d-s. It is a possiblity. I don’t hate the boy in any way.

Of course, I wouldn’t mind too much if K moved away. But that would only solve our problem, not his. I just want K to learn that there is a line between rough housing and abuse. If someone says “Please stop” then by all means, you should stop.

I just want K to leave Po alone.

I don’t think that is too much to ask.

Note: Lest it sounds like my son nearly died, I need to clarify: The marks were quite small, (you wouldn’t see them unless you looked very close) and he is just fine. -It was just the fact that there was a mark that was disturbing. That and I have a tendency to over-react…