Schoolyard bullies.

If there's one thing I can't stand...it's a bully. Bullying takes different forms, physical & verbal.

I had written a blog earlier this year where Noel stuck up for his little buddy at school when he was being physically bullied in the washroom at school. He ended up being the one who got in trouble and was sent to the office. For anyone who knows Noel, you can imagine this didn't go over well. As proud as I was on the inside, Roxanne and I had to sit him down and have a talk reaffirming that we werent upset with him, but the next time, he should find a teacher (or adult if not at school) and tell them what's happening rather than first resorting to getting physical.

Fast forward to today. Apparently Noel was playing with his friends and the class bully ran over and socked him in the belly. He was upset and went and told the teacher who was supervising recess. He did exactly what we told him to do. The teacher took the bully to the office where we've been told he'll spend recess for the next few days. We're hoping his parents will also be getting a phone call, but in this day and age, it's difficult to tell whether that will make any difference or not. (not all parents think the way we do).

At any rate, here I sit thinking the situation over in my head. My brain tells me we've done the right thing and hopefully, this kid's parents will deal with their son accordingly. My heart on the other hand kind of wishes that my boy would have reacted with a double leg takedown, pass to mount and smothered him into the snow until a teacher came by. My brain wins this one but eventually we will have this talk. As a parent, I struggle with what a 6 year old would consider the appropriate amount of force which is why we continue to practice what we preach.

It's odd this happened today. At the club on Saturday, I was told the kids program will be starting the anti-bullying program. They'll also look at it with the Little Ninjas but will do an age appropriate version.

At the end of the day, I'm happy with how Noel handled the situation. He's a big strong kid who will be able to handle himself as he grows up. It's those life lessons along the way that will be interesting.