Parents of bully victims might want to think twice before encouraging their kids to “sock it to ’em.”
In Boston, a 7-year-old boy has been accused of sexual harassment after kicking an aggressor in the groin, Babble.com reports.
Mark Curran was allegedly attacked by another boy before he resorted to violence, according to The Boston Globe. Nevertheless, because the bully was hit in the nether regions, the school is handling it as a case of “inappropriate touching.”
Mark’s mother, Tasha Lynch, said the bully tried to choke her son on the school bus after stealing his gloves.
Ms. Lynch called the school but got no answer, she said.
“I think my kid was right to fight back,’’ she told the Boston Globe. “He wasn’t doing anything except protecting himself.’’
The school declined to comment about the details of the case while the investigation is under way. Once that’s done, said Matthew Wilder, a spokesman for Boston public schools, “we’ll then make a final conclusion as to who will be disciplined and how.’’
Meanwhile, Ms. Lynch has received a letter stating that the school could suspend her son or transfer him to another school. No mention was made of the choking incident that left Mark unable to breathe, she said. “That’s called attempted murder.”
Unless there’s more to the story, it’s hard to understand why the school is handling what appears to be self-defense as a matter of sexual harassment. Perhaps the bully gave a creative explanation in the principal’s office – or maybe Mark isn’t the victim he seems.
Either way, schoolyard vigilantism doesn’t pay off, according to the experts at BackoffBully.com.
Parents might tell their kids to fight back, but victims are often no match for bullies. Instead, kids should learn to use assertive stances, strategic language and physical escapes from bullying, they write.
In other words, victims should take the high road – even after a choke hold.
Is there ever justification for a swift kick in the groin? Or does violence always cause more trouble than it solves?
