When you find out your child has been the victim of bullying, it’s normal to feel some anger toward the perpetrators, but it’s your job as a parent to keep a level head. Unfortunately one Illinois man forgot he was the grown-up and attempted to get back at his daughter’s bullies in the most terrifying way possible.
More: Mothers share shocking videos of their daughters being beaten by bullies
Roy Williams Jr. of Rockford, Illinois, faces charges of aggravated assault with a vehicle and assault with a deadly weapon after attempting to run over a group of teens with his SUV. A video recorded by a witness shows the 56-year-old driving his vehicle up onto the sidewalk in pursuit of the kids and revving his engine as he races toward them.
Police arrived on the scene shortly after the incident, and Williams claimed the students were trying to fight with his 13-year-old daughter. He was apparently hoping to teach them a lesson and scare them off by driving toward them, but police rightfully arrested him after viewing the shocking footage. See it for yourself:
No one was physically injured during the altercation, but you can bet they walked away with some emotional scars. Having a huge SUV jump the sidewalk and come racing toward you sounds absolutely terrifying, and it was definitely a bad decision for Williams to try to take matters into his own hands.
More:Parental rights against bullying
Striking back at bullies might seem tempting when your child is hurting, but lashing out at kids and attempting to physically harm them is completely unacceptable. There are other ways to address conflict and better methods we can use to show our kids how to respond in these situations.
More:How to talk to kids about bullying
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, one-third of youth are bullied at least once a month, and at least six out of 10 American teens witness bullying every single day. It’s a huge national issue and not one that can be addressed through making our kids more violent and aggressive.
Instead of fighting fire with fire, the Council advises getting teachers and school officials involved as soon as you suspect an issue and encouraging your child to confront bullies using nonviolent means. This can be anything from talking it out to simply walking away when conflict arises. Most important, they caution that you should never encourage a child to fight, as this could lead to injuries for everyone involved, and it could escalate the situation with their bullies into something even more serious.
Williams’ frustration in this situation is totally understandable, but unfortunately his actions were completely out of control. It’s difficult to see your kids hurting, but there are better ways to handle bullying, without causing physical or emotional harm in the process.
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