Bullied At School
Joey Mason, a typical happy child, was a favorite target of the school bullies. However, a trip to the park would soon escalate everything. While playing at the park with his ball, a bunch of teenage bullies zeroed in on him.
Sadly, there is no surefire way to stop a bully which is one of the main reasons why it persists and is still so pervasive. It was hard enough for Joey to deal with schoolyard bullies, but once it moved outside the school things became really bad. Someone needed to do something.
Ready or Not
Joey was your typical fourth grader. He loved to play with his cat and his god and he loved going to the park. The community where Joey lived in Toronto, Canada, had a park that Joey loved to visit. It was the best part of his day.
One of his regular trips to the park was about to turn from the highlight of his day into a nightmare experience. On that day a bunch of teens who were clearly up to no good arrived at the park and headed straight for him.
Victimized
“My name is Joey and I’m 10 years old. I am a victim of bullying. It hurts me very much. Please, stop bullying,” Joey posted online one day. His comment was read and shared by many and numerous comments were left on the post. However, the most important person of all, his dad, had no idea.
Like most bullied children, Joey hid what was happening from those closest to him. The post wasn’t seen by his father who had no idea what his son was enduring. That would soon change, however.
Concerned Parent
As a parent, you want nothing but the best for your children and it is worrisome when they are upset or unhappy. Joey’s father was no different, of course. He may not have seen the post Joey put up but he could tell something was wrong.
His father began picking up on various signs that something was upsetting Joey, and this distressed him. When he asked Joey what was going on, like many other children, Joey clammed up and dismissed the question. What was going on?
Changes
Soon after starting his new school Joey’s dad started seeing the changes in his son. It was a stark contrast to the boy he knew. Instead of the happy, carefree child he knew, Joey had become emotional and distraught.
This drastic change worried his father. What could cause him to beime so different. Was one of his teachers or of the children at school responsible for this? His father had no clue what could be going on but he knew he had to find out.
Something’s Up
Each day he watched as Joey returned from school crying. Clearly something had happened but Joey refused to say. However, his father started ti get the idea that Joey was being bullied. He wasn’t sure though and needed to be certain.
When he finally would discover the truth, however, it certainly was not something he was prepared for. He knew that he needed to come up with a solution but it wouldn’t be easy. However, he had to find a way to help his precious son.
Taking Action
No longer could his father stand by idly as he watched Joey become more and more upset and troubled. His son deserved better and his father was determined to make sure he got it. However, he would need a proper plan first.
A lot of thought went into formulating a plan and finally one started to form in his father’s mind. The only thing that remained was finding the right opportunity. Come hell or high water, he would hepl his son.
Decision Time
After plenty of consideration and speculation, Joey’s dad came to the conclusion that one of his classmates, or perhaps even a teacher, was bullying him. He knew that the problem lay outside the home as they had a very happy family.
So the problem was external. However, he still needed to know the truth about what was going on. Eventually, he decided that he would follow his son secretly and observe what was going on. When he followed his son to the park after school, he finally understood.
Day At The Park
As his father secretly watched from a distance, Joey played in the park with his ball, seemingly happy and content. However, as he watched, Joey’s father saw a group of teenagers approaching. Are these some of Joey’s friends? he wondered.
However, as he watched he could see the terror on Joey’s face and realized that they were responsible for the change in his son. That’s when he saw the torment these boys were putting his son through and he finally understood.
Caught Off Guard
For some reason, a group of teens had recently turned their eyes to him that spring. For weeks, it seemed that every time and everywhere Joey went before and after school, they were there to bully him.
But Joey was a tough kid and didn’t let the name-calling get to him. That was, until one day, the bullying took a scary turn. Today, it wouldn’t just be name-calling or pointing…
Taking What’s His
Joey was an innocent boy who was not troubling anyone, so why was he always attacked and bullied by these teenagers? To the other people present there, it would appear as though they knew Joey as they directly approached him.
Things were about to get ugly, and Joey was in trouble, but the commotion the teenagers made drew the attention of someone else. Would they be the one to help poor Joey?
Someone Help!
At school, Joey couldn’t defend himself. Most kids would be afraid to step up, and sometimes teachers were oblivious to this problem, thinking they’re just being “kids” and all just fooling around.
And now, the nasty teens had him cornered. Joey was terrified. These boys always harassing him and no one ever helps him out. But someone at the park sees what’s happening!
No Fun
The teenage boys were having some fun, stealing Joey’s ball and not giving it back. But we all know that things can escalate pretty fast if nobody intervenes. From afar, seeing the older boys passing Joey’s ball to each other didn’t seem wrong.
To onlookers, it probably looked like they knew him because they went directly to him. But their demeanor, though friendly on the surface, hid some dark undertones that would soon reveal the teens’ true nature.
Getting Ugly
“Hey kid,” one of the teens said. “Nice ball you got there. Can I see it?” But before Joey could react, the teen kicked the ball away from him. “It’s mine!” he protested, to no avail. “Come on, just give it to me, man. It’s just a ball,” the teen continued.
The boys continued to harass and cajole Joey as they kept teasing him with his ball. The ringleader stood and laughed in a twisted pleasure as they tortured Joey with seeming impunity. Little did he know, he was being watched.
Listening
While the interaction between the teens and Joey was occurring, a man was taking notice. He was hidden just out of sight. But as the teasing escalated, he turned his attention toward the four boys.
At one point, the older teen kicked the ball away to the other side of the footpath. That’s when the man decided to act. And the mean boys had no idea that he was Joey’s dad.
Stepping Up
“Gentlemen, what exactly do you think you are you doing?” asked Joey’s dad, in an extremely scolding tone.
Joey was trying to get his ball back, and then the teenagers were left speechless for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. But then, they grew emboldened. They tried to fleece him.
“Just Playing”
The teenagers innocently said: “Just playing ball, sir,” hoping they would fool the dad and be left alone. But this guy wasn’t buying it.
The man’s next words are more than we would ever want to hear in this situation if we were Joey…
Making It Clear
“Why are you picking on a little kid?” asked the man. The boys didn’t answer. “Don’t you think your parents would love this? You guys getting arrested for picking on a little kid?” he added.
One of the teens said “No,” and then the man turned to the other teenagers, asking some more questions.
Piece Of His Mind
“Why didn’t you guys stop him? You guys wanna be part of this?” – asked the man, angry that he was a witness to this, but glad to be there and help out his son. He turned to Joey and asked him if he was ok, giving back his ball.
Then, he turned to the teenagers and told them to find another place and leave the kid alone. But this story is far from being over, and you’ll see why…
Ace
A few days after the incident, Joey’s dad decided to walk his son to school. But this time, the father-and-son team had an ace up their sleeve.
He made sure to walk by the spot where the bullies waited for Joey every morning. He was ready to serve them sweet, sweet justice. He wanted to make sure they never picked on anyone again.
Bait
Joey walked ahead while his dad hung back. And, sure enough, the teens were loitering on their usual street corner. They recognized Joey immediately, and then the namecalling began.
But this time, Joey’s dad was ready. He strode up and shouted “Hey!” to get their attention. Then, he smiled as he unzipped his coat.
Flashed
The teens’ jaws fell as they saw the white uniform, then they began to scrabble. “I thought so!” Joey’s dad yelled as they ran away. Tightening his black belt, he grinned, satisfied.
He’d found his old Judo uniform and hidden it under his coat to give the bullies the fright of their lives!
Stop Bullying
Many celebrities have spoken up and supported people like Joey. Bullying is not something we want to see, no matter what! So that’s why many people have started to speak up about this issue.
Here’s what our story has in common with Anti Bullying movements…
Message from Keaton
In December of 2017, a video went viral in which a young boy named Keaton Jones tearfully talked about being bullied. The video elicited countless reactions and sparked a national conversation about bullying.
These events inspired Bandeira too, who decided to conduct his own social experiment on the issue of bullying.
It Gets Better
Plenty of public figures turned out on Twitter to show their support for Keaton. Out of all the attention Keaton got for the video, nothing was as heartwarming as the response from celebrities.
Chris Evans, known for his role as Captain America, put his massive heart on display for Keaton and his family. Chris felt for Keaton, urging that he “stay strong,” and even offering Keaton an invite to the new Avengers movie premiere next year. He wasn’t the only one to support Jones, either.
Your Choice
Would you stand up for someone that was being bullied? Would you have done the same or let the kid handle the situation by himself?
We think bullying is wrong and it shouldn’t ever happen, no matter the age, the reason, or the medium. It makes others feel bad about themselves and it also negatively influences people’s lives!
Raising Awareness
What this story has taught us all is that bullying is wrong, and the right reaction is to use logic and make the bullies ask themselves what would they do if they were the ones bullied.
Acknowledging this is one step closer to making bullying history in our society.
Online Bullying Increased
With the emergence of social media, online bullying has tremendously increased.
And it made many students that were bullied, not just in real life but also online, even consider self-harm!
Save A Life, Be Kind To Others
We can all save a life by being kind to people and by stepping up when we see them being harassed.
And always remember, don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t want done to yourself — this applies to bullying as well!