Bullying is a big problem in the United States. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, more than one out of every five students report being bullied, and the effects are significant. Students who are bullied tend to experience decreased academic achievement, sleep issues, lowered self-esteem, physical health complaints, feelings of sadness and loneliness, and depression and anxiety that can extend well into adult life. In extreme (but unfortunately not uncommon) cases, being bullied can even result in suicide.
The bullies themselves are not immune to the negative effects of their behavior either, and studies have shown that bullies are at risk of engaging in substance abuse and criminal behavior as adults.
But when your kid comes to you and says that he's being bullied, figuring out what to do isn't so simple. Most parents take the approach of telling their kid that they should just ignore the bully, which is easier said than done. Sometimes, parents choose to threaten the bully, which often just embarrasses the kid and leads to even more bullying.
Perhaps that's why people are finding this father's unique reaction to his son's bully so inspiring.
When Aubrey Fontenot of Houston, Texas, found out his son, Jordan, was being picked on at school, he decided to spend some time with the bully, Tamarion, in order to figure out the root of his aggressive behavior.
What he found was that the young man was bullying his son because he himself was being bullied for not having clean clothes or shoes because his family is currently homeless. So he actually took the bully shopping and bonded with him.
spent some time with my sons school bully yesterday .. just to dig a little deeper on"why?" .. come to find out he was being bullied for not having clean clothes n clean shoes.. I asked "why?" .. just to find out that his family is currently homeless🤴🏿♥️🙏✊🏽I had to do Something pic.twitter.com/IY29lgChqY
— TattooArtistAubrey (@illuminaubrey_) October 17, 2018
Afterwards, he brought the Tamarion home to talk things out with Jordan, and not only did they resolve their issues, they became friends and now play video games together.
This is today .. .. potnas .. n now I'm a first time mentor 🤷🏾♂️🙏 pic.twitter.com/9JpD2X84Qq
— TattooArtistAubrey (@illuminaubrey_) October 17, 2018
Fontenot posted a video of the time he spent with his son's bully on Twitter, and it went massively viral, gaining over 92,000 retweets in on week.
This pic gives all the feels and I love it!! pic.twitter.com/Zlt72h7yhu
— Levi Ismail (@LeviIsmailKHOU) October 19, 2018
People were touched by his approach, believing that he managed to positively impact not only the life of his son but also that of his bully.
Good stuff. Your interaction could possibly change that kids life more than anything he's experienced so far in life https://t.co/r1xTKSwbnK
— Bravo Brigante ~ Yo OG's OG (@JonBsmoov) October 17, 2018
People also thought that the video clearly showed something that many don't understand about bullies, which is that those who hurt others are often hurting themselves.
And many social media users commented on the thread to say the entire situation proves that it's much more effective to bring someone up instead of knocking them down.
Fontenot even started up a GoFundMe page for Tamarion and his family. His goal was to raise $7,000 for a family that had fallen on hard times. As of today, it has raised over $27,000.
For more proof that these kids of gestures can make a huge impact on someone's life, read these stories of times when an act of kindness from a stranger made all the difference.
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