What Would He Do?

Monte is my oldest. He has a lot of the typical traits that older children have. He is my sensitive one. My caring one. The first one to jump in and help when someone needs something. He is also the one I worry about most. He tends to follow along with the crowd too much. Wants to fit in. Will also give up his things to give to someone else just to make them happy. We've had many a talk about this!

Me and my husband have often wondered what Monte would do if he was in the situation where someone was bullying him. He has been at a Christian school for the past 3 years and never had to deal with that. Now that he is in a public school, we figured he would encounter a bully. Well, now I know what he will do. He will stand up for himself. I would never encourage fighting, but I want my boys to defend themselves.

It wasn't at school but at baseball practice last week. There is this boy on Monte's team. He is hard to handle to put it nicely. He doesn't listen, he is always running his mouth, and pushing the kids to get in front of them to be first. The boys for the most part try to ignore him. His Dad is one of the helper coaches and never says a word, so it's hard for any of us parents to say anything either. And you do just have to say, there's one in every crowd.

This boy got mad at Monte last week at practice. Monte was trying to play catch with him, but this boy was just goofing off. Throwing the ball over Monte's head, tossing it so it never even made it to Monte, running around the field. Well Monte had enough and went and asked two other boys to play catch. This boy got mad. When it was time to bat he stood in the door way of the dug out and wouldn't let Monte past. When he tried to get in this boy pushed Monte. Much to my surprise Monte pushed him back. The boy pushed Monte harder. Monte - who is a skinny little thing - put all his weight into it and pushed this kid back so he could get in.

I was sitting on the bleachers watching all this go on. And the Dad was on the field and had to of seen it too. I never said a word, but was ready to jump in and strangle the boy if need be. I never even said anything to Monte when we got home. I told my husband and he agreed that I did the right thing. We let it go, but on the inside I was proud of Monte. I always thought he would be the type to get pushed around. I'm glad I thought wrong.