A BB Gun and a Minor Facial Injury

pulliptears

Lets be honest here, kids can be bloody horrible to each other. They can be racist and whilst I'm not saying it's acceptable in any way I am saying it's par for the course with them, it's not an unusual occurrence (sadly).

What is an unusual occurrence is a child then pulling out a gun and shooting it's tormentor/s.

The racism issues shouldn't cloud anything because it boils down to a child being in possession of a weapon and using it against other children. Whilst provocation is an excellent defence for walloping the tormentor or calling a few names back, actually pulling out a BB Gun and shooting a child in the face is extreme.

Own_My_Own

keystone wrote: »

So last evening my daughter (13) comes home from school at about 5 having spent some time in the sunshine in the park with some of her friends. Yes she did ring and ask permission when school came out at 3.

She has a nasty looking mark on her cheekbone which hurts quite badly. Whats that said I? A boy from school had a BB gun and fired it at me. Cut a long story short. Yes there was some provocation and a but of skylarking but no knowledge of the gun until it was pulled out. But he deliberately fired it at her from about 20 feet.

keystone wrote: »

No not offended at all. My second (probably) question last night was what did you do to him? Apparently she was "dared" to "borrow" his scooter which she did and then returned it and then for a second time. Apparently there was also some comment when he produced the thing along the lines of "so you'll make a good terrorist one day". An added complication is that (how can I put this in a way that I don't generate offence?) he doesn't have a particularly English sounding name. The two groups (3 or 4 in each, one girls the other boys but all from the same year at the same School) were quite separate until a few minutes before this event occured. I don't believe he was being "picked on" wholesale. Of course there are always two sides to a story.

keystone wrote: »

I do not for one minute believe that he genuinely meant to harm her with this weapon. I do not believe for one minute that there was any malice or bullying on behalf of my daughter in the period leading up to the event. It sounds more like skylarking whcih if we are all honest with ourselves was no different when we were that age.

Op while I do not condone the actions of the boy, your attitude[STRIKE][/STRIKE] is astounding.

It is not skylarking. It is bullying. If he had not shot your daughter would she have told you she stole his scooter twice ? I doubt it.

How many other times has she and her friends done this to him ?
Everyday ?
Once a week ?

While his actions were wrong, so were your daughters.
Yes, you keep saying you know she was wrong in doing it, but you also do not seem to accept the seriousness of bullying. Calling it skylarking does not change what it is, or the lasting effect it can have on the victim.

aliasojo

Own_My_Own wrote: »

.
Yes, you keep saying you know she was wrong in doing it, but you also do not seem to accept the seriousness of bullying. Calling it skylarking does not change what it is, or the lasting effect it can have on the victim.

Stop being so quick to assume things. You don't know this was bullying. You know nothing of these kids or of any (if there is any) background.

Is any thing that any kid ever does to another now going to be known as bullying?

keystone

Own_My_Own wrote: »

Op while I do not condone the actions of the boy, your attitude is astounding.

Is it?

It is not skylarking. It is bullying. If he had not shot your daughter would she have told you she stole his scooter twice ? I doubt it.

Are we going to relentlessly pursue this path of political correctness in this country until one person only has to look at another in an off hand way for it to be described as bullying? Whats next after that - thought crime? Please look up the definition of stealing - you are wrong. Are you another who magically morphed from babyhood to being an adult without the usual intervetion of childhood and the teenage years?

Yes, you keep saying you know she was wrong in doing it, but you also do not seem to accept the seriousness of bullying. Calling it skylarking does not change what it is, or the lasting effect it can have on the victim.

For that matter you do not seem to understand the seriousness of shooting somone else or the lasting effect it could have on the victim. Placing the two in the same category or even making "bullying" the greater offence as you seem to imply to is the road to somewhere not very pleasant. Also please don't be judgemental with zero knowledge of me about what my attitude to bullying is nor try to pretend that skylarking about isn't pretty natural for kids this age.

Cheers

keystone

I started this thread looking for perspective and proportion. I have got it from many posters who have been of great assistance and for that I thank you. I even thank the extremists too for some reasan because it has highlighted the route that I have decided to take is absolutely the correct one for both of them.

Time to close this thread methinks.

Cheers

Edit: and that would be as described in Post 49, moderated by Post 50 and confirmed in Post 51.

mumps

Person_one wrote: »

Maybe, possibly, but have you ever heard the expression 'playing the race card' used in a perfectly innocent and not even slightly racist context? I don't think I have!

Its a bit like the way 'I'm not racist but...' is always inevitably followed by something racist!

Well I said it and I am white, my DH black and children in between, well that sounds like they are grey which isn't correct more like a golden colour. I can imagine their reaction if I was racist.

Richard53

aliasojo wrote: »

Is any thing that any kid ever does to another now going to be known as bullying?

I have seen definitions of bullying which include 'not speaking' to someone, so the answer to your question is probably yes. We are in danger of widening the definition of bullying so much that the term becomes meaningless.

That, of course, is no help in tackling the issue of genuine bullying, which is a serious one.

mumps

aliasojo wrote: »

Stop being so quick to assume things. You don't know this was bullying. You know nothing of these kids or of any (if there is any) background.

Is any thing that any kid ever does to another now going to be known as bullying?

Being bullied is horrible. Kids can be so cruel. We don't know enough about this to judge but I know how damaging bulling can be. A ten year old begging us to let her die, how do you think that feels. Teachers just seeing her as needing to toughen up. Can you imagine an adult being surround by a dozen people hit, spat at, called names, stung with nettles and someone saying, "Oh you need to toughen up." Things being stolen on a daily basis and then her getting told off for not having a pen, book or whatever. Believe me a BB gun isn't right but neither is bullying, real bullying is life threatening.

Wyre

The more I read of this the more concerned I am that the lad's first thought when confronted with an awkward situation is to wave a gun around and then fire it at someone! My children at that age (and one still is that age) would be to either grab the scooter back or come home to me and tell me what was going on.

Keystone, it is a difficult situation, I hope you come to a conclusion that works for all parties.

jackieblack

keystone wrote: »

I started this thread looking for perspective and proportion. I have got it from many posters who have been of great assistance and for that I thank you. I even thank the extremists too for some reasan because it has highlighted the route that I have decided to take is absolutely the correct one for both of them.

Time to close this thread methinks.

Cheers

Edit: and that would be as described in Post 49, moderated by Post 50 and confirmed in Post 51.

:huh: I don't understand What did you decide? :huh: