Tau

I was bullied a lot when I was young. I remember begging my mom just to leave it alone because I didn't want it to get worse. I wish my mom hadn't listened to me.

As a mom now, I won't stand for it with my kids. When my eldest was bullied once at school - we went straight to the principal and demanded action.

Fortunately, our school system has a zero tolerance policy - so we were very pleased with how the whole mess was handled. Now my DS's bully is a polite acquaintance with my son because of the right type of intervention.

That said, if the school had been less than cooperative, I would have been in there requiring action instead of asking for it. If the school doesn't respond appropriately, go up the chain of command.

For material damage to the trumpet - Id take the parents to small claims court. For physical assault - I third going to the police.

These kids aren't the only problem. The school is negligent and so are the parents, and as such, they need to be held accountable as well.

If I've learned anything, its that most people will only retaliate twice. Once they are aware of what the real consequences are, they will back off because messing with you or your son is more trouble than its worth.

I try to be flexible about most things in my life - but this is one area that I just get really hard core.