The Madison Jennings story deals in part with the age-old problem of bullying. Bullies are as old as the Bible and a staple of young age life from elementary school all the way through high school. In fact, you will find bullies throughout your life. As an adult, you find different ways to deal with them and their effect you be not as profound as in your teenage years.
There are many opinions about how a young person should respond to bullying behavior. As our society has gotten more “enlightened” the overwhelming advice leans toward ignoring it, talking with teachers or administrators, and loving yourself no matter what.
I understand the sentiment. But let me tell any teenage reader of my series, or any parent that sentiment is dead wrong.
When it comes to bullying there is only one way to address it and make it stop. You confront it head on. Bullies stop when you stop them. You don’t have to go full on Ronda Rousey on them to stop it, but fight back. Some of you may have parents or teachers that will tell you fighting solves nothing. They love you. They mean well.
They are wrong.
Bullies pick on people they can beat up, and on people that act too weak to stick up for themselves. If you want to stop being bullied, or if you’re an adult reading this and you want your child not to endure it, show them how to throw a right hook in the nose. That’s right. You teach your child how to fight and when to you fight. Pacifism only leads to wedgies.
Listen, people who act weak or meek become targets in life. When you do not learn how to stick up for yourself both physically and verbally as a child, it is a pattern that can become ingrained into you as an adult. It becomes easier to be afraid than to stand strong. So learn to stand strong now.
Understand you are not alone when it comes to bullying. Millions of people have had to endure it. You can bet every tech-geek millionaire and billionaire got bullied at some point. It’s what happens when you’re intelligent, but not big, a sports stud, or aggressive.
A swift punch in the nose is a quicker way to stop a bully than hiding, running, getting teachers involved (they can’t be everywhere), or worst running home to their parents. Bullies pick on people that don’t fight back and who are easy to push around. Don’t be that person.
When you fight back, you don’t have to win. In fact, if you are small and they are large, you probably will not. Does not matter. Fight back anyway. At some point you either will beat them, or make it clear you are more trouble than it’s worth. As a freshman in high school, upperclassmen wanted to bully the incoming freshman. They were all bigger than me, and I got into several fights that first two months. But they at some point left me alone because fighting me was too much of a hassle.
If the bullying and teasing is verbal or online via social media, you can still fight back. That does not mean hitting them (though that works) but stand up for yourself. Practice being witty, so you can go right back at them with a cutting verbal riposte.
You must let people know they cannot intimidate you or make you feel inferior. Don’t let them cause you pain that makes you commit suicide, harm yourself, or hide away.
Last, if you are a parent that is reading this and your child is having this issue. Understand that whatever you feel about fighting the bullying will not stop until your son or daughter fights back. They must stand up for themselves. It stops the bullying but more important it maintains your child’s sense of self respect. Nothing kills a person inside more than feeling like a coward. You do not want that feeling to grow inside your child.
