When the kid comes home and says the kids at school pushed him into a thorn bush. Why are kids so cruel?

@greenmountaingal Thank you very much. Yours and everyone elses comments have assured me that I'm going in the right direction. Bullying is very difficult. Up until the kid came into our lives, my partner and I have always seem bullying through the eyes of the person being bullied. I didn't realize that it is equally as heartbreaking when your own child is beimg bullied.

I know that someday he will make friends that love him for who he is. Until then, we will keep guiding him in tbe right direction.

@lauriethecolourful His friends will love him for who he is. But people in general, his acquaintances and those he works with, especially men, will only respect him if he can defend himself verbally and, to some degree, physically as well. Friends are those who care about you and like who you are; from what you say, this will never be a problem for your son. It's just those few real jerks we all have to deal with now and then...

The Samantha Horn book really helped me. I read it during a year when I had to deal with a bullying boss. It really helped me to minimize her nasty behavior.

@greenmountaingal I understand what you mean. As he gets older, he will learn to stick up for himself. I was the exact same as him as a child.

I'm sorry that your boss gave you a hard time. We think that bullying stops when we become adults, but that's not the case. It's probably worse when we are adults.

Thank you for the recommendation. I will look it up and see where I can find it. :)

@romell I know that. I've been teaching him about tolerance. But he is a very timid and loving boy, so he wouldn't hurt anyone.

@lauriethecolourful It will take some regular practice with role playing to get him to be comfortable sticking up for himself. Maybe a relative or friend of the family can help.

@FreedomDevlin I'm sorry about that. :( It's sad that bullying is so common that they just assumed someone pushed you in there.

@SW-User It really is. We're still consoling him.

Usually people that end up punching each other become best friends in the long run

I have a boy and took him to a boxing club...he didnt want to do it anymore cause he didnt want to fight and i respect that but u shpuld have seen how happy he got when he did climb in the ring and started to throw punches and after the fight they shook hands and they train together also...

If people pick on you once and see u dont do anything then your an easy target and it can damage your confidence in life about any choices u make in the long run

So its really not good to be on the receiving end all your life...you have to sstand up for yoirself when it is really needed

@greenmountaingal Of course. When I say marital arts, I also mean self-defense classes for children. It's just to defend yourself without hurting anyone else. I know this sweet boy will find friends that love him for him someday.

@wudifu Take it from someone who was bullied in school...you are right! When I got older, I learned to fight. The girl who bullied me in school had several older brothers who had taught her to fight (obviously, her parents neglected teaching her what was acceptable behavior). She was a little pipsqueak of a girl and with only a little training in how to defend myself, I could have subdued her. And, as you pointed out, we might have even wound up friends. Self-defense is a very important skill for kids.