I was bullied for three years during Junior High and High School. My sophomore year I finally snapped and kicked some butt. Never got bullied after that. During the time I was being bullied, I was very shy, withdrawn, never wanted to be center of attention, and I was a loner because I didn't trust anyone. I even went as far as telling the counselor at my school in 8th grade. He didn't believe me. So I was alone. My Mom was so pissed off, moreso at me because she basically made me stand up for myself. Made things worse for me at school, but she did plant that seed in me that I would probably have to stand up for myself and fight if I wanted those girls to leave me alone.
Anyway, I am very sensitive to this subject, and if I found out my son was being thee bully, I will wring his neck!!! Figurative speaking of course. I will not tolerate it, and there will be consequences here at home, and I will also make him do some community time at school. Hopefully what I instill in him now, now that he's going to be 7 years old, he won't be that way. I won't tolerate my son being bullied or tolerate him being thee bully. If I'm at his school and I see another child being bullied, I will stand up for that child too and I will make sure that child stays safe the rest of his/her school years.
When I was being bullied I never thought of suicide. I had a very rough time. The girls that bullied me lived across the street and the other around the corner from me. They would call my house and tell my mom to kiss me good night because it will be the last night she sees me. They would throw eggs on our car, follow me off the bus, taunt me at school by throwing food at me, push me, call me names etc. I feel as though in today's time, we have to be extremely careful, especially now that kids are carrying weapons to school. So I have to make sure that my son knows if he is being bullied, to not say anything, to walk away, and go straight to one of the teachers, or principal and also tell me and his daddy.
Last year when my son was in kindergarten, he had a little friend he played with and got along with well. His little friend had his lunch pail snatched out of his hand by another kid (same age). That little friend ended up pinching that other child who took his lunch pail. He got into trouble for pinching and the other kid got into trouble for taking his lunch pail. I was starting to be friends with his mother and connected with her on facebook. She is a paralegal and her husband is a police officer. She told this story on facebook and included that if she were in that position, she would PUNCH the other kid. I came UNglued! She tried to say that her son got unfairly punished and that him pinching that other child was merited. I rebutted her and said NO it wasn't and explained my position on that. She even had another one of her friends who is a teacher explain to her about the 'no tolerance' policy that schools are now trying to enforce. She still can't see it. I then knew that with her attitude on this subject we would not get along at all.
So if I ever find out that either of my two sons are being bullies at school, I will surely nip that right in the bud immediately. :-)