Bullying incident has grandma worrying she should do more
Dear Annie: My grandson is in first grade and was being bullied by a classmate. The first time, the bully threw him to the ground and started punching him in the face. In the second incident, the classmate pushed my grandson to the ground and began kicking him in the stomach.
The boy’s mother, my daughter-in-law, went to his school and told them she was not sending him back without a conference.
But there’s more. This 6- or 7-year-old then brought a stun gun to school — yes, I said that right. He was pointing this weapon at students.
He has been absent from school since that day. The grandma part of me wants to call the local news. And the police. This child (I don’t know his identity) obviously, in my opinion, has a lack of supervision at home. Should I just stay out of it?
— Worried and Mad Grandma Dear Grandma: The fact that this boy has been absent from school since the stun gun incident is a good sign. Hopefully, he is receiving psychiatric care for his disturbing behavior. I am sorry that your grandson had to go through that. It must have been very scary. As far as going to the news or the police, I would hold off. Trust that your daughter-in-law and school are handling this situation appropriately. For such a young boy to be doing such violent acts, he must be in a great deal of pain, and he needs help. Until he gets the proper help, he should not be allowed back in school.
The students like your grandson who were his victims should also receive counseling and support from the school — something you might suggest to your daughter-in-law. Dear Annie: I just read your response to a reader who recommended an alternative to AA called “Rational Recovery.” You praised them but said you don’t understand why anyone would seek an alternative to AA because it’s been so successful. I’m not sure if you’re being purposely dense. AA is a faith-based program where you’re made to give yourself up to a higher power and admit you’re powerless to fight the addiction, that only God can help you. And you wonder why atheists and agnostics may want to pursue a different option? Please educate yourself and drop that holier than thou attitude. It’s 2022, Annie.
— Surprised
Dear Surprised: Please read yesterday’s column. I am not holier than thou, trust me, and I certainly regret if I came off that way. So many readers have written over the years to praise AA for saving their lives and families that I enthusiastically promote them. But I agree that I should not have questioned why anyone would seek an alternative treatment, and I applaud all recovery programs that work. Thank you to the many readers who wrote to say they have found alternative treatments for their recovery.