Australian bullying wrap up and tough love from dad

It bothers me when a youth does something criminal and then the media talk to the neighbors or parents.  “Well, they were such a nice young child, it just doesn’t seem like something that they would do”, the parent would say.  It doesn’t matter the crime, the statement from the parent is always the same.

That is the part that bothers me.  The parent saying such a stereotypical halfhearted non apology doesn’t’ do anything to help the youth, victim or family.  I’ve long waited for a parent to step up and say something along the lines of ‘my child screwed up and they’ll pay the consequences’.   A dad in Ipswich, Australia has just done the next best thing by driving them to the police station after he caught his two children bullying a younger one.

The dad was driving home from work early one day and saw his 17 year old son and 15 year old daughter beating up a 13 year old boy because he wore glasses.  It was a severe beating in which they broke the young boys jaw.  Matt, the dad, stopped the car and picked them all up, dropped the youth off at home before dropping his kids off at the police station.

For any dad to take his kids to the police station must be an amazingly difficult thing to do, but it’s also the right thing to do.

Matt was bullied when he was a youth for wearing glasses. In his case the bullying was long and drawn out, which caused him to stop wearing glasses.  Unfortunately, the fact that he stopped wearing glasses as a youth has now affected his vision to where he can no longer drive the car at night.

The family of the 13 year old may press charges against the two teens and their dad is supporting the other family.  That is tough love in action.  The 13 year old girl had recently gotten a pony and the 17 year old received a car last year.  Both the pony and the car will be sold with the proceeds possibly going to the 13 year old victim.  That is tough love indeed.

Remember, Casey, the bullied victim who body slammed the youth who was bullying him?  He’s giving his first interview to A Current Affair in Australia on Sunday night.  In the previews he seems like a kind, focused young man who is handing the worldwide attention with grace and dignity.