A woman shared her story of how she reacted when taking her son to the park and witnessing a girl bullying him.
The Mean Girl
She said, “I have a one-year-old son, and we decided to go to the playground one day. On this day, a bunch of kids were there, among whom was a bratty 4-year-old or so girl who had a mean streak to her.”
Not Invited
Her son who didn’t know better, stood near the girl. She demanded, “What are you doing here? You’re not invited here.”
Dislike Bullying
The mother felt uncomfortable watching her son being bullied. However, she hoped he was too young to understand these things yet.
Cautious
She didn’t want to make things worse by acting like a sensitive helicopter parent who shields her kid from everything. So, she tried to ignore it and not upset her son.
Played Somewhere Else
She took her son to play elsewhere in the park. He seemed happy enough and everything was okay.
Later
Later, she saw that the little girl’s grandma was there. The girl wasn’t far from her grandma. It dawned on the woman that she could bait the girl to be mean to her son in front of the granny.
Got Closer
She took her son nearer to the girl. She said, “I figured out he wouldn’t understand anyway.”
It Worked
The girl yelled, “You’re not welcome here. Go away.” The grandma heard her that time.
In Trouble
The girl got into trouble as the woman had hoped. The grandma told her they were going home if she couldn’t be nice.
Went Home
The girl pleaded to stay, but Grandma most likely wanted to go home anyway. She led the upset girl out of the park.
Boundaries
Several people suggested the boy may be at fault and need to learn boundaries. She replied, “I do try to teach him. For example, I tell him not to grab other kids’ toys without them saying he can.”
Shared Space
She insisted that this happened in a shared space that was a supposed throughway for other kids. There was no reason for the girl to be asserting boundaries there.
Other Kids
She also said the girl was acting this way to other kids, not just hers. She seemed to think the park was just for her.
Agreement
Many readers agreed with the mother. One said, “You did her a semi-favor. You gave her the opportunity to display some behavior that an adult in her life should be correcting, and fortunately, Grandma was up to the task.”
Parenting
Another commented after having witnessed too many examples of bad parenting. He said, “I’ve Seen too many parents and guardians get defensive and let their kids get away with almost anything. Those kids almost always turn out horribly.”
Just Kids
Another complained they were tired of hearing the “oh, they’re just kids” excuse. She said that kids are in training to be adults, and parents or other guardians should consider what kind of adult they are training them to be.
Karma
As the conversation turned to ways children learn to defend themselves, one person recalled an experience where he built a snowman around a boulder. He said the instant karma of watching him attempt to kick it down was worthwhile.
Ways To Deal
Another man commented on how he dealt with bullying as a kid. He said, “If a kid was being a brat on a playdate, I’d always just walk away and ask my mom to have us leave. She was always cool about it, and it kept my drama to a limit as a child.”
No Drama
One woman agreed, stating that walking away works as an adult too. She suggested it’s the best way to avoid drama.
