The title did not disappoint. This hit me hard, as I have zero experience with anything like this. Is this what it’s like? If not for your writing, how would I have experienced rivalry, competition? I guess that’s what reading is all about.
When I was very little, a boy used to bully me. At one point, he pushed me off the sidewalk and onto the road. The road was near empty at the time, but in my terror I had imagined that a car would come at any moment and run me over. My mother found out about this. Without my knowledge she confronted the boy, grabbed him by the collar, and threatened to hurt him if he ever did that to me again.
She told me what she did years later. I think I was supposed to feel happy about my mother defending me against a bully, especially since it worked! The boy never hurt me again after that! But I couldn’t help but be horrified that a grown woman threatened bodily harm toward a boy less than ten years old. And every so often I think back to him and wonder if she traumatized that kid.
I know talking nicely rarely works. I know the majority of times, cruel people like Jasper don’t stop unless you hurt them or at least threaten to break something. I know if my mom hadn’t done anything, that boy probably would have continued to bully me after the road incident. But God, it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good at all.
What happened to that little boy is not your fault. It was probably one of many lessons in his life. Some of the most memorable delinquents from my childhood are successful adults.
It's sweet of you to worry about that little boy and you can channel that into helping kids now.
Before I even read the story, I just want to go on record as saying I love the title.
The title did not disappoint. This hit me hard, as I have zero experience with anything like this. Is this what it’s like? If not for your writing, how would I have experienced rivalry, competition? I guess that’s what reading is all about.
Tough lesson.
Hope Jasper figures it out before he moves from fists to harder.
Eddie is right.
When I was very little, a boy used to bully me. At one point, he pushed me off the sidewalk and onto the road. The road was near empty at the time, but in my terror I had imagined that a car would come at any moment and run me over. My mother found out about this. Without my knowledge she confronted the boy, grabbed him by the collar, and threatened to hurt him if he ever did that to me again.
She told me what she did years later. I think I was supposed to feel happy about my mother defending me against a bully, especially since it worked! The boy never hurt me again after that! But I couldn’t help but be horrified that a grown woman threatened bodily harm toward a boy less than ten years old. And every so often I think back to him and wonder if she traumatized that kid.
I know talking nicely rarely works. I know the majority of times, cruel people like Jasper don’t stop unless you hurt them or at least threaten to break something. I know if my mom hadn’t done anything, that boy probably would have continued to bully me after the road incident. But God, it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good at all.
What happened to that little boy is not your fault. It was probably one of many lessons in his life. Some of the most memorable delinquents from my childhood are successful adults.
It's sweet of you to worry about that little boy and you can channel that into helping kids now.