NC school bans 9 yo's My Little Pony Backpack

I'm not really sure where I stand on this.  On the one hand, I think the school it taking things a bit too far.  What if it were hair ribbons or the kid liked to dress in pink?  On the other hand, I would not expect the school to punish each kid who cracks a joke regarding the boy with the girly backpack, as there would just be too many of them.    

Personally, I would tell the parents and the kid, he could keep the backpack, but unless there is a physical confrontation, coming from another kid, that he will have to suck it up if kids tease him.  If the parents want the teasing to stop, then get your kid another frickin backpack and lose the other one.  Sorry.

I know, I'm harsh, but these are kids, they are going to make fun of the kid, and the teachers can't watch this kid 24x7 while at school, there are probably 20+ other kids in that class that have needs as well.

I think I'm with you on this one as well.  As parents we have a basic responsibility to get our kids to a certain acceptable state of dress as they go out the door.  If I'm dressing my kid in stinky clothes that haven't been washed in a month and not letting him bathe then he's going to get bullied.  Sure, the school can clamp down on it when they see it, but most bullying is going to happen outside of the teachers view so the school can only control so much.

We've got a neighbor kid who has been bullied his entire life because his parents seriously dress him like Urkel.  Plad sweaters, suspenders, pants up to his chest, and geeky glasses.  His parents thought it was "cute" and even nicknamed him Urkel.  He's in middle school now and has no friends and I'm pretty sure he's going to be a serial killer at some time in the future.  That wasn't the schools fault, it was his parents fault.

One thing I always tell people is you can shelter kids their whole childhood but eventually they become adults where there is no shelter and they're ill equipped to handle it.
Obviously straight up bullying should be stopped when possible, but there's a lot of value to adapting and overcoming adversity as a kid as well.

I remember listening to an interview on the radio some years ago that really stuck with me. The person (some Doctor) said that as parents we want to protect our kids from all the things we had to go through as a child.  We want them to not make the same mistakes we did and not face any hardship.  However, if they never face any hardships then how are they ever going to learn?  You learned from your hardships and mistakes and it made you who you are today.  Why do you not want your child to grow up and be strong like you?.

You're not raising kids, you're raising men and women. 

Most parents forget that.

You must not be whipping them hard enough.

Very well said.  I had a rough time going though high school / middle school and you know what It made me a better person.  I am stronger in the face of adversity because of it.  Do I sometimes wish that things would have been better?  Of course, but I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for what I have gone through in my life.  I think getting hurt on occasion can be a good thing - it builds character. 

Of course there is a time when bullying goes to far, there is a difference between teasing and harassment.

If you are going to do something that is not in the 'normal' you are going to get teased and that's where it should stop.  The kid if he wants to wear the MLP backpack should be able to if he wants, but he will have to deal with it.  It's a good lesson in learning not to care what others think about you.  It's a tough lesson one that I wish I would have learned myself at a much younger age.

You got it right, Justin......every lesson worth a damn is hard fought.

This seems to good to be true.  Something that we all are on the same page on in the Political Joe???? 

Yeah, I got nothing to add here.  Weird ;)

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by DanielG

Originally posted by Justin86

This seems to good to be true.  Something that we all are on the same page on in the Political Joe???? 

Sometimes everyone can see when the government gets TOO involved

Yeah, I got nothing to add here.  Weird

 

lol, I'm a firm believer that 80% of the people in America agree on 90% of the issues.  It's those pesky 10% of the issues where things get ugly.  

Well allow me to play the Devil's advocate.

Wait for it...

Just kidding.  I got nothing...

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by tuwood

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by DanielG

Originally posted by Justin86

This seems to good to be true.  Something that we all are on the same page on in the Political Joe???? 

Sometimes everyone can see when the government gets TOO involved

Yeah, I got nothing to add here.  Weird

 

lol, I'm a firm believer that 80% of the people in America agree on 90% of the issues.  It's those pesky 10% of the issues where things get ugly.  

OK, so why does this school seem to have its head up its azz?

Most parents have an expectation that schools will stop bullying and provide a safe/friendly environment for their kids to be.
Therefore the schools are going to do whatever they can to stop the bullying and that includes building kids up that are bullied as well as thump the ones that are causing the bullying.

Using my stinky kid example earlier I would guess they would take a dual approach of trying to keep kids from bullying my stinky kid, but also talk to the kid/parent about taking a friggen bath once in a while.  

I don't recall if the article mentioned the school trying to reduce the bullying in addition to recommending the kid not wear the backpack anymore.  Either way, I'm guessing they were trying to take the path of least resistance in this case but I don't really know any more than what the article says.

Originally posted by tuwood

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by tuwood

Originally posted by switch

Originally posted by DanielG

Originally posted by Justin86

This seems to good to be true.  Something that we all are on the same page on in the Political Joe???? 

Sometimes everyone can see when the government gets TOO involved

Yeah, I got nothing to add here.  Weird

 

lol, I'm a firm believer that 80% of the people in America agree on 90% of the issues.  It's those pesky 10% of the issues where things get ugly.  

OK, so why does this school seem to have its head up its azz?

Most parents have an expectation that schools will stop bullying and provide a safe/friendly environment for their kids to be.
Therefore the schools are going to do whatever they can to stop the bullying and that includes building kids up that are bullied as well as thump the ones that are causing the bullying.

Using my stinky kid example earlier I would guess they would take a dual approach of trying to keep kids from bullying my stinky kid, but also talk to the kid/parent about taking a friggen bath once in a while.  

I don't recall if the article mentioned the school trying to reduce the bullying in addition to recommending the kid not wear the backpack anymore.  Either way, I'm guessing they were trying to take the path of least resistance in this case but I don't really know any more than what the article says.

I don't know.....I hear from A LOT of parents who think the schools are out of control and only looking out for their own liability when some dumb arse parent decides to sue them because their kid is getting teased.

The problem is that the 10% you alluded to earlier bully everyone else with their wacked out ideas of how their kid should go through life without a care or problem.

Make fun of my kids......I dare you.....THAT'S how you put an end to this garbage.  Bullies are the same today as they have always been.....they hate kids who stand up.

The cure for bullying is in the home, not in a court or the principal's office.

Eh......I wouldn't characterize 9 year olds as thugs.....all they need is to get hit in the mouth with a My Little Pony book bag..... then they'll be on a better path.  Unfortunately......we have become a society who thinks that 2500 "Likes" in favor of the kid with the book bag shows support.  That's crap.  If you want to show support, smack a bully in the face while in the act.....like we used to do.  Today, you get suspended from school for standing up......completely backwards.

I'm going to say the parents are the ones that are ultimately encouraging more bullying at this point.  It's pretty apparent that they are the ones who ran to the media about this.  Had they not ran to the media and just gotten their kid another backpack nobody would have had a clue and the kids would have been just fine.

Now he's broadcast all over the world and the kids will most certainly make his life rough from here on out MLP backpack or not.