the    sides

Cooper had his first experience with a bully. Went to the nurse, cried in front of his classmates, scraped up his knees and hands. Seems that Bully threw a ball and tripped Cooper up. Cooper’s friends tried to stick up for him I think but they mainly just got him to the nurse.

Growing up moving every two years - I knew this was going to happen. So I get home, Coop is telling me the story. He gets done and I just look at him. I love this kid. I love his tender heart. I love the fact that he wants to make people laugh and play with them. I hate the fact that we - me and him - are going to have to fight to keep that inside him.

So I gave him the best advice a parent can give a kid.

“Son, the next time that happens and he bullies you. I want you to get up, turn around, look right at him in the eyes. Then I want you to hit him as hard as possibily can right in the nose. I want you to knock him out.”

Amy’s jaw hits the floor. I can see that this was not exactly the piece of advise she was expecting.

Cooper was in shock as well.

But it’s just like I told him - stuff is going to happen, you are going to fall and get scrapes and bruises. But nobody deserves to be bullied. And you can control that. You don’t let anyone bully you or anyone else for that matter because they are just like Satan. You give them an inch, they will take a mile.

So the next time it happens - I’m going to go pick up Cooper from school - because he’ll get in trouble - and we are going to Chuck E. Cheeses.