One of the best pieces of advice I received as a child from my father was that it’s impossible for family to always be around. While my family would always have my back, it’s best to be ready to stand on my own.
Though the best lessons are learnt on the ground, the conditioning that starts at home plays a huge part in preparing a child to deal with bullying.
Just as I was at his age, my second-born was pale, skinny and blessed – or cursed – with a glorious crown of curly locks.
Without resorting to the parenting style that I was raised with, I opted to send my boy to whatever martial arts regime he could stick to – not to encourage violence, but to build confidence and self-assurance. It was also different from my own childhood in that now, I could afford to provide the luxury of preparedness for my own children.
By the time my son was in Primary 2, his first confrontation with a bully happened.
Prior to it, I gave him explicit instructions on how to fight back when faced with an aggressor, based on the knowledge I obtained from my own martial arts journey. I simply taught my son how to eliminate an incoming threat with a well-placed body strike.
What I didn’t expect was for my son and his aggressor to become buddies within a week. For this, I thank his coach for reinforcing the idea that self-defence isn’t just about fighting back. It’s about knowing how to handle conflict in a way that earns respect and diffuses aggression.
