I've been largely absent the last day or so because I've been busy. Most everything can wait until a bit later today, but I did want to talk briefly about the bullying situation at school.
I met with the school this afternoon and had a thirty-minute discussion about what's going on with Elliott and this bully.
While I'm not happy at all, I will say that since I know how to handle this and who to talk to, the process is much easier.
The person I spoke with today is very genuine, and I truly believe that she's as horrified about this as I am. In fact, she may even be more upset than I am and I'm pissed off.
We decided that she would meet with Elliott on Monday and talk to him about everything. She wants to make sure he feels safe and that he knows he can stand up for himself without fear of getting in trouble or having points taken away by his teacher.
I suggested that if Elliott was okay with it, perhaps she could sit the two of them down and figure out what the fuck is going on. Since they used to be good friends, maybe we can figure out what the kids got against Elliott.
[clickToTweet tweet="How I'm dealing with my #Autistic son's bully at school and setting a positive example. #bully" quote="My priority is protecting my son but at the same time, we need to better understand what's going on in order to resolve it."]
Once we identify the problem, hopefully, we can work through it. This, of course, assumes that the kid isn't just an asshole. I don't think he is and I have hope that this can be resolved and maybe even a friendship restored.
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It's important to note that perception is a huge factor here. We're not dealing with typical kids, so who knows that's truly behind this or what the intentions are. All I know for sure is that Elliott is very upset and it's impacting him both at home and at school.
Frankly, that's all I really care about. If we can work through this and resolve the underlying issues, great. If not, this kid needs put in his fucking place. By that, I mean the school needs to deal with him as a bully and put this whole thing to bed.
I've had countless comments over the last few days and I'm way behind on them. Having said that, people are wondering why I'm not waging war against the school or why I'm not raging mad.
Here's the thing.
There's a right way and a wrong way to handle this. I've been around the block a few times and I get that there may be more going on with this kid. I also under that Elliott's perception isn't always accurate.
My priority is protecting my son but at the same time, we need to better understand what's going on in order to resolve it.
If for some reason, things don't move forward in an appropriate way, I'll simply keep Elliott home in order to keep him from having to deal with this shit.
At this point, cooler heads will prevail and the school and I are on the same page.
I'm trying to deal with this, while at the same time setting a good example for my kids. Nothing about bullying is easy, but like I said, there's a right way and a wrong way to handle this. I hope I'm going about this the right way.
