A reminder,

that things aren't always as simple as they seem...

Jacob came home from school last week very distraught over a bully.
This child had been hitting him on the playground, had threatened to kick him in the nuts, and told Jacob "I am going to kill you the day after tomorrow."
I was livid. Cotton was livid. Jacob was upset all weekend long, couldn't stop talking about it.
He told us a dozen stories about this kid, bullying him, telling another child to shut their "stupid face," just all kinds of stuff.

Monday morning Cotton went to the school and demanded action.
And it was handled. The bully was made to apologize verbally, given in school suspension, and made to write letters of apology to Jacob and us. He was told to stay far away from Jacob for the rest of the school year, not to talk to him or go near him.
The teacher apologized profusely, though neither Cotton or I blamed her. We know how kids can be, and we know how sneaky they can be.

I must say, I was really not liking this little jerk.
How DARE he threaten to KILL my baby!? He needs an ass whoopin! His parents need to teach him some manners!

Through a series of emails with Jacob's teacher, however, I got a heartbreaking revelation.
The little boy's dad has ALS, and doesn't have much time to live.
This child is very quick to anger these days, and has been acting out quite a bit since he was given the news. My heart fell out of my chest and hit the floor.

Ugh.
He is learning a much harder lesson than how to speak kindly to others.
While he was giving jacob a really hard time, this little guy and his family going through HELL.

Does that make it okay for him to torment and bully other kids? Of course not.
But it makes me want to wrap him up and hug him. Fix the world for him. Which, of course, none of us can do.

So there you have it. A reminder to open your mind. Look outside your bubble.
Something I always try to do, but don't always accomplish.
You just never know what is going on beneath the surface...