Photo: Twitter
She had asked the school to intervene, but the name-calling persisted.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Mar 31, 2023
Most parents would like to believe that we are people of peace, influencing our children to turn the other cheek when conflict arises. But with a staggering 1 in 5 students being bullied at school and administrators struggling to address it, more parents are taking a more physical approach when it comes to protecting their children
A woman named Bianca Austin recently took to Twitter to share how proud she was that her daughter who was being bullied by another child at school finally stood up for herself and punched the bully in the face.
The mom says she's 'proud' that her daughter punched her bully.
The boastful mother explained that her daughter has been experiencing bullying for weeks and even though she had made numerous attempts to have her child’s school deal with the matter, nothing had been done and the name-calling continue. After sharing, “my daughter finally punched the bully in the face,” Austin declared herself a “proud mum.”
Offering more context in a follow-up tweet, Austin adds that her daughter was given, "2 days in-school exclusion." Meanwhile, "the other child has gone to class because she was 'only' verbally abusive," she continues, "No wonder bullying is never stopped in schools."
To explain the situation even further, Austin shared an image of her child's leg, covered in mud marks caused by an alleged kick from the bully.
As you might have anticipated, the tweet started a divisive conversation as to whether or not the girl should have resorted to hitting another child. One woman wrote, “I understand your-- and her--frustration but hitting someone in the face is never o.k. Not. Ever. There are other options--lots of them. And if you think that this will stop the bullying, you are wrong-- it will probably escalate it.”
But one man was quick to disagree, commenting, “Nah. I bet cash money this bully will leave her daughter alone. The majority of time, the bully has to be shown that the victim will take up for themselves. Sounds like Bianca did everything by the book and the school or bully’s parents did nothing.”
Overwhelmingly, and perhaps surprisingly, parents from around the world gravitated to the post with over 2 million views, many of them offering Austin kudos for allowing her daughter to stand up for herself by hitting her alleged bully right in the face.
Bullying can have a profoundly damaging impact on children.
The world is filled with bullies, young and old. Their victims can suffer from extreme damage to their mental health, social skills, and self-esteem that can last a lifetime and make them unable to live up to their highest potential. Children who are bullied are at risk for depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
The ways of dealing with bullies are pretty limited. Children can choose to walk away, but that may be like rolling out the red carpet to another cruel child who just wants to be able to get under their skin and make their life miserable.
Another option is to tell the adults charged with making the school safe for children. That, too, can be a double-edged sword since aggressive behavior can increase in retaliation when nothing is done to stop the harassment and monitor the situation long-term.
The jury is still out on whether or not hitting back will keep a bully at bay. But it’s clear that the politically correct tactics like asking them to stop, ‘snitching,’ or avoiding them altogether may not be the solution either. So until schools have a viable solution, some parents will be forced to train their kids to be battle-ready for school.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.