Mom Explains The Sentimental Way She Made Her Son Apologize After He Bullied A Classmate On The Bus
She made sure her son knew that bullying of any kind would not be tolerated under her roof.
New Africa | Shutterstock A mom admitted that she wasn't going to let her son off the hook after learning that he spoke disrespectfully to another one of his classmates.
In a TikTok video, a content creator and mom of four named Carey Mitch provided a step-by-step account of how she made her son apologize after learning that he'd mistreated another person.
She explained the sentimental way she made her son apologize after he acted like a bully on the bus.
"My son got accused of calling a little Black girl out of her name on the school bus," Carey began in her video. She explained that it'd started off as any normal day. She was at home waiting for her kids to get off the evening school bus. However, it didn't take long for things to change once she received a phone call from a young girl's aunt.
Carey learned that this little girl had gotten off the bus crying because her son had called her "out of her name" because she was Black. Immediately angry at her son's supposed behavior, she called him straight into her room with the girl's aunt on speakerphone and asked him point-blank, "What did you say to that little girl when you got off the school bus?"
"His face, immediate guilt. 'I'm sorry, Mom.' I said, 'What do you mean you're sorry? So you said it?' 'Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry, please don't whoop me,'" Carey recalled the conversation between her and her son.
At his confirmation that he'd indeed said it, she grew more frustrated, pointing out that not only did he know it was wrong but he also knew Carey wouldn't agree with it and he'd get in trouble.
Taking the necessary steps to rectify the situation and teach her son a valuable lesson about treating people with kindness and empathy, especially those who don't look like him, she asked the girl's aunt for her address.
Carey insisted that both she and her son would be showing up at her house so that her son could apologize to the young girl face-to-face.
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"We had a real long conversation on the way over there about how what he did was wrong and how he was going be completely and totally, 100% intentional with his apology. But the apology wasn't even enough for me," Carey continued, claiming that she wanted her son to say more than just "I'm sorry."
On the way to the little girl's house, she made her son go to the store and pick out gifts.
Arriving at the little girl's house, she had her son hand her the gifts that he'd gotten at the store and apologize. The two even hugged before they left.
Carey walked away feeling grateful that the young girl's aunt had called to tell her what happened instead of it being swept under the rug.
"If this woman had never called me, I would have never known that that came out of my son's mouth," she added. "I would have never been able to correct the problem. If there's one thing about me, I will not defend or condone any wrong actions by my child."
No parent wants to hear that their child is a bully, but as noted by Stomp Out Bullying, Carey's immediate action was exactly the right course.
According to The Child Mind Institute, addressing the issue, having a serious conversation to uncover the reason behind the behavior, and offering suitable consequences for the behavior, like a loss of privilege, followed by a true apology, which Carey did, are the steps to take if you are made aware of a bullying scenario.
While it's common and normal to want to give your kids the benefit of the doubt when they've been accused of something, it's just as important to teach children the power of apologizing and having remorse over actions that can hurt someone else's feelings.
Bullying should never be tolerated and should always be addressed immediately.
Instead of simply having her son say, "I'm sorry," Carey went out of her way to make sure that not only would the little girl receive an adequate apology but that her son would know, moving forward, that his behavior would not be repeated.
It's a valuable lesson that Carey's son will hopefully take with him throughout his life, molding him into a more empathetic and compassionate human being.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.