How to handle a bully – Part 1 | Currently Globally Opinion




Shawn: Appa(Dad), You need to take me to Coldstone and buy me ice-cream.

Anbu: Why?
Shawn: Because I punched Josh today. I got the referral. (Referral means, he got a disciplinary note from his teacher. The parent has to sign the note)
Anbu: Good job, Shawn. Let\’s go and get you ice cream now.
******
Why do I reward my son for punching his classmate?
What kind of dad am I?
Why do I encourage such a bad behavior?
Before judging me, you need to know Shawn.
Shawn is a smart kid.
A nerdy one!
Very compassionate, soft-hearted kid!
He cried for an hour after watching the movie \”Click\”.
The following scene in particular…
Before watching this clip, let me tell you a synopsis of this movie.
The hero is very busy and straddles between his personal and professional life.
He wants to climb up on the corporate ladder. However, his personal life gets in the middle.
He gets a magic \”Remote\” using which he can fast-forward and rewind his life.
He enjoys the benefits of fast-forwarding his personal life and climbs up on his career.
However, his personal life is ruined to the point that he doesn\’t even know that his dad passed away.
When he comes to know that his dad passed away, he is devastated.
Now, watch this scene.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSztNG-Vek0&h=400]


Shawn is very perceptive and very analytical.
Shawn can tell you what kind of person you are after meeting you for 2 minutes.
He is a worldly and people person.
We both enjoy the political and the stand-up comedy shows.
His logical and analytical skills come in handy when he argues.
It\’s very hard to beat him in any argument.
Here are some of the discussions we have had in the past.
\”Do we need to preserve and follow our culture?\”
\”Cleaning up Gene Pool: Right or Wrong?\”
\”Are men and women equal?\”
He thinks that everybody is his friend.
When the other person doesn\’t reciprocate his feelings, he gets hurt and feels stabbed in the back.
No matter what happens to him, he cannot tattletale on his classmates or bullies.
\”Appa, I cannot rat him out. I just cannot do that. I can\’t be a snitch\”
Now, you know, he is an easy target for bullies.
He is a softie.
He cannot tattletale on anyone.
A low-hanging fruit for any bully!!!
Since the kindergarten, he has been bullied on several occasions.
I told him to stand up for himself.
In the worst-case scenarios, I have talked to the teachers about the bullies though Shawn doesn\’t want me to talk to the teachers.
\”Appa, my teacher said, if someone bullies, we need to say \’STOP\’ in a loud voice and leave the place. If he continues to bully, then, we need to report to the teacher\”
To me, it is a lame-ass technique to stop a bully.
It may help him in a schoolyard. However, it will not help him as an adult.
He needs to be confident and stand up for himself.
In other words, he needs to be a man.
Shawn is very opinionated. It\’s very hard to change his opinions.
Did I change his opinion on how to handle a bully?

I will tell you in Part 2.

-Anbarasu Rayappan

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