An Australian mom of three has admitted that she’s “proud” of her young son for punching his school bully as it proves that “the bad guy doesn’t win.” Laura Mazza, an influencer from Melbourne, shared the story along with a photo of her son on Instagram, said that while she doesn’t necessarily believe that violence is the answer to any problem, “when it comes to bullies, you gotta stand up to them.”
- Laura insists her son wouldn’t hit another kid for no reason. She feels confident that if her son says he was being bullied and felt forced to act, he’s telling the truth. “I don’t think my kids are angels or the kids who do no wrong, but when it comes to my son, I know he is not the type of kid to hit anyone randomly or ever bully anyone. He is sweet by nature. In the 6 years I’ve known him, I’ve never ever witnessed him punch someone unprovoked,” she wrote.
- Her son felt nervous to tell her what he’d done. As a consequence of his actions, her son was given something called “yard duty.” However, he didn’t want to tell Laura why he’d been given this punishment as he doubted she would believe him. She assured him that as long as he was being honest with her, he wouldn’t get into trouble, which inspired him to open up about what really happened.
- The boy was sick of being bullied. Dealing with a school bully can not only be distracting but it can be incredibly demoralizing and upsetting for students, especially when those in positions of authority refuse to step in to help. “He told me that another boy was picking on him, and when he told him to stop, he pushed him off the playground, then ran away. And I asked him, “okay, so what did you do?'” Laura wrote. “He said ‘I chased him and punched him in the face so he knows never to bully me again. I knew the teacher wouldn’t do anything so I had to stop him from bullying me.'”
- Laura talked to her son about alternatives to violence but secretly felt “proud.” As she explained. she felt good that her son was able to stand up for himself when adults wouldn’t, but she felt disappointed that it had to come to that. “Was I proud? Yeah a little bit. I know violence isn’t the answer but I also know that when it comes to bullies you gotta stand up to them. I’m glad he did. I’m sad I wasn’t there to protect him and that he was let down by adults, but I’m glad he stood up for himself, because as an adult that’s still one of the hardest things to do. I want my kids to know that the bad guy doesn’t win,” she said.
- Pretty much everyone who commented on her post agreed with her. Many of the commenters had been bullied themselves in the past and knew all too well how devastating it can be. Many wished they’d had the same courage as her son to stand up and do something about it. Others felt that with bullies, sometimes the only response they’ll understand and the only way to get them to stop is to do something like this. As long as it doesn’t become a habit and the boy is given alternate ways to deal with problems like this in future, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal, many of them think. Do you agree?
