bully.

when the school's phone number appears on my cell screen, it hardly ever means a good thing.

on the other end of the line, the nurse told me hesitantly that my child had been choked.

yeah. my mouth dropped open.

my son was okay.

during P.E (jeez, how i disliked that class!), as they were putting away the balls they had used, my son and his friend were standing together when another student threw a ball at my son's friend's head. (still with me?) hard.

my son decided to speak up as it is not the first time apparently that his friend and other kids get bullied, and because of that the bully pinned him against the wall by his neck. these are fifth graders by the way. fifth graders!!

my son shoved his hand away and the gym teacher having seen this, took the bully to the Principal's office.

later at home discussing the incident, J (my son) mentioned that that kid and one other are constantly bullying him verbally and although he's learned to ignore them, it angers him. 'mom, i don't want to go to school tomorrow. i'm scared they are going to do something to me.'

this morning we prayed together and explained to him that God was on his side and prayed that God would give him courage to stand up for himself in the best of ways.

i'm sitting here just heartbroken that these kids have come to behave this way at this age. heartbroken, because i know that this behavior in bullies comes from emotions that have built up over the years of hurt, anger, or being ignored. it's sad.

if you're a parent, tell your child constantly how much they are loved, that they are important and have a purpose. remind them constantly, because sadly the voices from their peers sometimes are the ones that are the loudest for them. and pray for those that need that love. pray that those kids that are out looking for attention in the worst of ways can know that they are kind, smart, and important.