We are all taught from an early age that bullying has no place in our world, or at the very least, everyone should be taught this.
Despicable behaviors include making someone else’s life miserable, pressuring or compelling them to do things against their will, threatening or harassing them, and abusing them. Bullying is something that no one should have to endure in an ideal world.
Unfortunately, bullying still occurs frequently in workplaces, schools, and occasionally even homes. Depending on who you ask, there are a variety of approaches that work best for dealing with bullies. However, a few years ago, a Texas mother gained notoriety for her handling of a very delicate case, drawing both acclaim and criticism for her actions.
I have always encouraged my kids to express themselves in whatever way feels right to them and to be whoever they want to be. But there has always been one unbreakable rule in my family: bullying is never acceptable.
Luckily, I’ve never had to answer the dreaded phone call from the school or the parent of a youngster who has been bullied by one of my sons. Having said that, I had previously wondered how I would discipline them if the time ever comes.
When a Texas woman encountered that situation in 2018, her contentious answer gained a lot of attention online. According to accounts, Star, the mother in question, was informed that her son, who is in the fifth grade, was labeling other guys as “idiots” and “stupid.”
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Star moved accordingly. The mother said at the time to KTRK, “I did what I had to do to stop it from progressing.” I’m a really traditional parent. I don’t pamper my kids. I tell them the truth without holding back.
It turns out that Star made her kid wear a t-shirt that said, “I am a BULLY,” to school as her response to his destructive behavior.
“I posted it to reach out to the parents of any of the kids my son may have bullied so that each of them couId get a personal apology,” the mother wrote with a photo of her son wearing the shirt on Facebook.
Unsurprisingly, the choice to publicly discipline her son elicited conflicting responses on social media, with individuals debating whether or not Star had gone too far.
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Child psychiatrist Dr. Richard Pesikoff expressed his opinion that the unorthodox punishment might have caused more harm than good.
It’s not a good idea to make your elementary school youngster feel ashamed and to reinforce a negative identity in them. He remarked, “I think the school is one resource and she needs to find somebody to help her,” as reported by KTRK.
Star, on the other hand, claimed that her son’s school was fully supportive and that they knew why she had forced him wear the t-shirt. In the end, the mother removed the photo from Facebook in response to criticism.
How do you feel about this penalty? Has this mother gone too far? Tell us in the comments below.
