The day they called my son a bully!

My dear darling son is anything but a bully! He’s not an angel, he’s a typical boy but he is kind, caring, sensitive and funny, sometimes to a fault. He likes to make people laugh, even if it’s at him. He suffers from what dear darling hubby calls “bad choice of words”. He knows this because he himself suffers from it on occasion.

Son will say something trying to be funny and someone will take it the wrong way. Then he is extremely upset that he hurt someone’s feelings. I understand all the hoopla over bullying but don’t automatically label a kid before all the facts are in.

This particular incident involved a girl (doesn’t it usually?) in his 4th grade class. He made a comment that was supposed to be funny but it left this little girl in tears. My son got so upset, he also  cried. The teacher handled it beautifully. She made such an influence on him that year that he still keeps in touch with her even though that was almost 3 years ago. She is retiring this year and what a loss for our school district.

Everything was fine and both parties came to and understanding. That is until the administrators and counselor got involved! That’s when the uproar started! They wanted to put him in anger management class, group therapy and who knows what else! They went a couple of rounds with me (and hubby) and decided maybe they were a little hasty! Ya think!?!?

My son and this girl actually came out of this as friends. She called the house one weekend just to say “hi”! Girls calling the house, still not ready for that one!

The fourth grade class at this school always has a field trip to St Augustine, Fl. I was looking forward to going as a chaperone. (I have to because of his diabetes.) Then, in October, just weeks before the trip, my son broke his leg. Badly. Both bones in his lower leg, one near the ankle, one near the knee. Practically a full leg cast at first so he was in a wheelchair.  The trip was a no go. He overheard this girl tell the teacher she couldn’t go cause her parents didn’t have the money to pay the fee for her to go. He came home that day and sat us down and asked if we could pay for her to go in his place. We are by no means well off but we had planned to go and set aside the money.

I went down and talked to his teacher and told her his idea and would that be possible. I thought she was going to cry. She contacted the parents and simply told them that there were sponsors available and the money was there for her to go. We put a few extra dollars in so she could buy something at the gift shop (for herself) and wouldn’t feel left out. A couple of days after the trip, I picked son up and he had a paper bag in his hand. I asked “What do you have there?” Not 1, not 2 but 3 St Augustine figurines and such from other girl classmates, including his friend. He told her after the trip what we had done and she could keep the item she had bought but she wanted him to have it. The school mascot was a dolphin and this was a small snow globe with a dolphin in it.

Sound like a bully to you? Nope, me either!!