The Bully Diaries...

It has become all too common.

Carson comes home from school with a scrape, or bruise, or unexplained tear in his clothing. His answer is always the same: "Someone fighted me today." When I call the Principal of his school, there is always mystery and confusion surrounding the events. For some reason, when someone beats the tar out of Carson, the details never quite get nailed down. When Carson fights back, though, suddenly everything is crystal clear.

Last Friday (while I was sitting in a hospital bed), we got yet another call from the Principal of the school that Carson made "bad choices" that day and we needed to talk. When I called her back on Monday, she reported to me that Carson shoved a boy in his class. In fact, she reported, that same boy is so afraid of Carson that he has been pretending to be sick so he can stay home from school.

Really?

I reminded her that I reported a few weeks back that Carson saw this same boy when we were in the carpool lane...and Carson hit the deck, hiding in fear. That is SO not Carson. Carson is usually hanging out the car window, yelling, "Hi Friend! Hey! Have a good day, Friend!!" (He rarely knows anyone's name.) I also reminded her that my report of said incident was not addressed.

Let's examine the facts here. This...
...is my fearsome son, the one accused of bullying and creating intense fear in another child. While I don't have a picture of said boy, this...
...is a great representation of his physical gifts. This boy easily weighs 20 pounds more than Carson...maybe more than that! So, apparently, this scary dude here...
...with his string-bean skinny arms is causing our own personal version of Pugsley Addams to shake in his tennis shoes.

REALLY?!

The story I had gotten from Carson (before I called the Principal) was that "Pugsley" came up to him on the playground and threatened to punch Carson in the face. Not wanting his cute face to get smashed by this thug, Carson put his hands on the boys chest and pushed with all his might. (All the might he can muster in those string-bean skinny arms of his.) Unfortunately for Carson, the teacher on duty was too far away to have heard the threat, but close enough to see Carson shoving the boy.

All of this was news to the Principal. (Of course it was!) She had gotten the very real impression that Carson shoved this boy completely unprovoked. I reminded her that "Pugsley" outweighs Carson pretty significantly. She chuckled and admitted that she had presented those very facts to "Pugsley" when he reported being so afraid of Carson that he pretends to be sick so he can stay home from school. Sad thing is, I wasn't chuckling. I don't find this even a little bit funny.

Daddy and I have discussed this at length and we figure it went down like this. "Pugsley" decided it would be fun to bully Carson (figuring those string-bean skinny arms were useless in a fight), then he found out that Carson fights back. What "Pugsley" doesn't know is that what Carson lacks in strength he makes up for in determination and "smack talk." Now "Pugsley" is losing face at school since Carson doesn't fear him. Thus, the trying to stay home from school and blaming it on Carson.

While I don't want Carson fighting at school, you gotta give the boy props for standing up for himself in a fight he was pretty sure he couldn't win.
When Molly found out someone was fighting her big brother, she told Carson not to worry...
...that her muscles are plenty big and she would fight anybody who picked on him. Hmmm, wonder if "Pugsley" could take her?!