First day of Kindergarten Camp & Bully Issue-Need advice please!

[pixiepoo]

Today was the first day of kindergarten camp and afterwards my son Ryan wanted to play on the playground with our neighbor girl Kate who is also starting Kindergarten. A third boy collided with Kate & knocked her down & Ryan ran over to help her out. Well the third boy said something to Ryan & Ryan said something back (not quite sure what was said) Ryans dad said then the bully took his hand & hit Ryan in the forehead with his palm forcing his neck to jerk back very far. Ryans dad said he kind of yelled, Hey stop that & the kid was stunned. The bully ran to his parent & she started hugging & kissing on him like he was the victim. Kates mom was stunned at what the bully did too. I take the kids to play with others regularly & have been fortunate enough not to have encountered any physical altercations like this. I'm not quite sure how to handle it in the future. I want my boys to stand up for themselves but dont want them to be the bullies. I believe kids should be allowed to resolve difference on their own but when it comes to being physical, thats a different story. So please, share with me your experiences & suggestions.
Thanks!
Heather

[jesseandgrace]

My best advice is to try not to worry about it YET. Tell your son the proper way to behave, and let him know that unfortunately not all kids know the right way, but that teachers and parents will help out and that hopefully that child can learn with help. If you have a good school and teacher, this will not be allowed at all. Our K teacher last year would not have allowed even the smallest little thing as far as this type of bullying goes, and I think most kindergarten teachers are the same. They really expect more from the kids than I ever could have imagined, so you likely will not have to deal with this childs behavior once school starts. Also, the mother comforting him will be in for a harsh reality if this boy is causing trouble in school. We got talked to the second day because my ds wasn't sitting 'criss-cross applesauce". Also, do you have more than one K class? Maybe they won't be in the same one!

[nicoleandjackson]

I agree with the PP. If your DS's teachers are on the ball, there will be no tolerance of that kind of behavior. My DS is in a multi-age preschool (3's thru early 5's) and we told him repeatedly up front that if someone is hurting him or making him angry, he is to use his biggest, loudest voice and tell the other child, "No thank you! I don't like that!" or "That is not okay!" and then to go and tell a teacher or grown-up. I feel pretty confident now that DS can stand up for himself without escalating the incident (not to say that he hasn't instigated some himself :P)

(((Hugs))) to you and Ryan. I hope this is the only bump in the road to the start of his Kindergarten experience.

Nicole
Mommy of Jackson 4/30/02

http://b5.lilypie.com/nD9Jm5.png

[pixiepoo]

There are 4 Kindergarten classes so *hopefully* this boy won't be in Ryan's class. The school & teachers have a great reputation, so I am sure behavior like this will be taken care of quickly. I just hate that Ryan's first day of camp ended like this. He is very social and eager to make new friends. Thanks for the advice!

[pixiepoo]

Thanks! My mom said all kids change somewhat when they start school because of the things they are exposed to. What scares me the most is the fact they are transporting elementary, middle & high school age kids all on the same buses this year b/c of gas prices. I remember the school bus being a mean place.
Thanks for your advice!

[kgoble78]

Whoa! I am glad I am not in your shoes. If the parent is being so sweet to the child either they didn't see what happened or just didn't care. If it is that they just didn't care I would try to avoid the child at all cost. I am not to the school age set yet so I am probably not much help. I hope everything gets worked out.