This makes me so angry. No child should ever be bullied by anyone, and children should not be committing suicide because of it. This is preposterous!! The schools here, and probably everywhere, have all adopted a "No Bullying" policy. Yet, when you talk to the teacher, about your child being bullied, there is little they do about it, if anything. If your child fights back, they end up in trouble, or expelled from school, which then goes on their record.
My eldest son was bullied every single day for almost a whole year, both at school, and at Optimist Club Teen dances, until we finally told him to fight back. I called the principle of the school, and warned her that my son had our permission, to teach this kid a lesson, once and for all. She warned us, that this "bully", came from a broken home, his mother was a crack addict and his father also a druggie, and he really needed to be "understood".
I told her in no uncertain terms, was my son going to take his crap anymore. She warned me that if it happened on school grounds, my son would be suspended. I told her, not to worry, it wouldn't, and my son was NOT going to be punished. I said, "if you, the teacher, cannot and /or will not, protect my child, than he was going to do the job himself, and be done with it."
A week later, the fight happpened, off school property. I came home, and as I got out of the car, my son came up, and began to cry...he said, "mom, we fought. I gave him a bloody nose". I asked him how he felt....he said he felt terrible, he didn't like hurting the kid, but now he was certain the bully was going to leave him alone. I called the principle, told her it happened, and the boy had better leave my son alone from now on. She said she had to report it to the school board, and she'd let me know their decision. I said, "There'll be no decision. I'll get a lawyer if I have to." That was the end of it.
Know what? That bully, asked my son, if he could be friends with my son and his friends. Of course, I said "No way....you be nice to him, but you are not hanging out with him". End of story. I met the boy at graduation, and he had really changed his ways...his dad stepped up to the plate, and straightened his life around, in order to take care of his son.
I feel for kids, like this boy, but I'm not going to ignore my son being bullied, just because the bullying kid has troubles. They need to know that their actions are not acceptable, and learn to deal with their problems in other ways.
Our children should not be taking their lives, because of some kid who is picking on them.