The idea that you see someone pushing your son around and then give the bully free pizza is nonsense.

Some people in this world respect only one thing: force. They think they can stomp around and push everyone else around and can only be stopped and intimidated by a stronger and more threatening force. That’s simply the way the world works.

Not everyone in the world is a delicate, reflective individual in touch with their feelings who can be brought to see the light through some new age encounter session.

As for the idea that calling the police just made the bully “fearful”…good. That’s what bullies need to be made to feel: fear. Fear that if they continue to assault other people that they will wind up in the criminal justice system, possibly behind bars with true violent criminals.

The goal here is not to make the bully “feel good about himself”. The goal is to deter him from assaulting other human beings.

Personally, if I was a child being assaulted by a larger child and saw my parent act in a weak and conciliatory manner, rewarding my assaulter with free food, I would think of that parent as someone who lacked the ability to protect me and I would lose all respect for that parent, probably for the rest of my life.

So, Observer, I think you did do the right thing.

I stated a fact…which was “apologize to my son” or “I will press charges against you for assault?” This “bully” had a long history in the court system which I hadn’t known. But he was torturing my child in and out of school.

Sounds like “you are trying to use bully tactics” to erroneously suggest that I threatened to sue the police, draining tax payer dollars when a person calls the cops, etc. You statement “parents create scenes including threats against other kids who are picking on their peers” when they become involved us ridiculous.

You may not agree with how I handled it, but “job accomplished.” My child was no longer bullied or assaulted by this kid again.

What’s going on at Hommocks today, w/ such programs as the one that Mr. McKay is spearheading, are FAR MORE productive and successful over the longhaul than what you did. This kid maybe left your child alone, but undoubtedly, he’s taken his anger out on another kid somewhere else, even worse, in retribution for what you did to him.

You may think you were protecting your son, and perhaps the taunting stopped for him, but what you did in essence was the same thing that kid did to your son – you picked on and ganged up on someone smaller and weaker and younger than you.

I think it’s totally wrong when parents get involved and create scenes including threats against other kids who are picking on their peers. That is just perpetuating the same behavior manifested by another individual – you – and this time bringing in the “big guns” literally and figuratively to protect you and your son.

I also think it’s a total waste and drain on tax payer dollars to manipulate and abuse the local police force the way you did. I have no doubt you threatened to sue the cops if they didn’t show up at Nicky’s pizza.

Why couldn’t you have taken a mature and even applied some child psychology to your approach? What about buying some pizza for all the kids to sit around and talk about why they don’t like your child or why they felt the need to pick on him? Talking to that kid would have done him more good than what your tactics. For you have done nothing but made him more angry and fearful and nothing has been learned by that incident.

You evidently don’t have much insight as a mother.

My son had been bullied at Hommocks as well. One day while going to Nicky’s, this bully saw my child and shoved him. I saw it. I became enraged. I walked over to the child and said “apologize to my son for shoving him.” I smacked my fist on the table leaving a large bang..and demanded an apology in front of his friends.

“Bully…If you don’t apologize I will charge you with assault and call the cops.”

He didn’t apologize. I picked up the phone and called the Village Police. I whispered to them that this bully was here at Nicky’s and could you come and scare him into an apology.

Sirens and lights blazing, the Village Police with four officers showed up. The Youth Officer called the Bully outside and told him that they would be bringing him into Family Court AGAIN, and that his mother wouldn’t be very happy. They told him to leave my son alone, and that they would let him off the hook this time if he “shook hands on that agreement.” He agreed and this BULLY never bothered my son again.