As our son progressed in homeschooling, we noticed his social life was lacking a bit. I think he wanted to be placed back into the public school system himself. We discussed it after about 4 years of homeschooling and decided to put him back in.
They say it is hard being a newcomer into a school and they are right! He would come home saying he wanted back out but I tried to tell him to give it time. He managed finding a few friends and even though the neighbor girl and he fought back and forth, they are friends today. When you spend day to day like a sibling fighting, it usually ends up in a solid friendship.
Now, as far as the few others he ran with, one was a pretty good kid but the others were jerks. I found him clinging to friends just to have a friend as I did growing up and I tried to convince him otherwise, but we all know how that goes at times.
Many of them rode dirt bikes with him. Then, they had permission to ride places. I heard later in time just how crazy of riders they were and thought about if I had known that earlier they probably would not be riding! Oh the adventures of dirt bikes and boys! He managed a wreck or two here and there with one ending in a fractured wrist. I can still see him sliding on the driveway! Good thing it happened at home! I am glad he did have an interest in something though!
One young man totally used him. Not a real friend at all. He bullied him at school and told lies about him that were never true. School counselors saw the acting out son of ours but failed to see the reason whys! Our son recently revealed the bullying and things done to him by this young man and others and it broke our hearts! If only he would have told us and we would have recognized it! Of all things I should have!
But the issue of making things worse for him if he told us stopped me in my tracks! I knew some – many – of these kids and their parents and little did he know that it would have stopped! There is no excuse for behavior like this to happen if parents would raise their children with God first and foremost!
Parents, if your kids act out, misbehave, come home crying and lock themselves in their rooms, and don’t communicate, chances are there is more to it than hormones as they grow and just being “normal” teens. Get in their faces if you have to and be adamant with your feelings. Don’t scream or holler, just make them open up! Chances are, they feel parents are bullying as well and their responses are not what you’d expect.
I do remember the one boy with a few of his buddies coming here rummaging through our shed to find tools to fix his 4-wheeler. That was dealt with by contacting his grandmother. But unfortunately, because he didn’t get his way, he made life miserable for our son at school. And what is worse yet, the boy wasn’t allowed to be up in our area and riding anyhow and his father allowed it! I shake my head at the irresponsibility some parents have.
Memories of being bullied just mainly by mouth made me sick to my stomach with what he had to endure! Bullying is a topic that irks me! Parents, please raise your children to be Godly and have morals! Please, teach them that bullying is not acceptable and can permanently damage the mind and heart! It damages home life and everyone! Please help do your part and stop this cause of sadness, loneliness, and even suicide and evil behavior!
And, for those of you who were or are being bullied, please tell someone! If you fear your families or friends won’t understand, go to someone you can trust. Do not think these bullies can keep this behavior up. If you tell someone and bullying progresses, there is legal help out there!
Each child, each human being, and each and every soul is created by God for love! God shows NO partiality to anyone and those who bully and do mental or physical harm will pay the consequences when He returns. There are many resources to help and one is going to stop bullying.gov and you can search the internet for local help as well. We are expected to love one another and humble ourselves. Be kind, be nice, and have a heart that is pure because when you meet The Lord, he shows no mercy to those who hate and are of the evil.
