I’m the dad of that kid...
...that kid who wakes up with a smile on his face each morning...
...the kid who makes us laugh at the beginning of each day...
...the kid who races to get everything done so that he can have some free time before heading out the door.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the kid whose happy giggles slowly fade away as we drive down the road...
...the kid who worries as we make that last turn into the parking lot of school...
...the kid who really doesn’t want to get out of the car...
...the kid who is resigned to what’s about to happen.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the kid who is ignored from time to time...
...the kid who is the easy mark, the only one who gets yelled at for making a bad play on the playground...
...the kid who would rather be alone than join in something for which he’s going to get ridiculed...
...the kid who hears a semi-constant barrage of how weird he is...
...the kid who gets mocked for being different...
...the kid who gets verbally targeted because he won’t fight back...
...the kid who other kids say, “Hey, kid, do this...” so that they can embarrass him.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the kid who says everything is alright...
...the kid who holds it close because he doesn’t want to relive it at home...
...the kid who holds it together until he can no longer hold it...
...the kid who comes to us as his last line of defense against so many who are against him...
...the kid who slowly becomes the antithesis of the way he woke up.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the kid who, despite all of the negativity, still wakes up with a smile on his face...
...the kid who, when actually trolled on the internet, took it all in stride...
...the kid who actually forgave the perpetrators even though they never actually apologized...
...the kid who still believes that life is a thing to be cherished...
...the kid who refuses to hate...
...the kid who is a better human being than I will ever be.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the dad who has had enough...
...the dad who is tired of being nice...
...the dad who wants to verbally shred every single offender so that they feel a modicum of what his kid feels...
...the dad who does not give a rat’s rear end about the troubles his kid’s bullies go through (even though I should)...
...the dad who is not nearly as forgiving as his kid...
...the dad who will never, ever forget what they’ve done to his kid, and continue to do to him...
...the dad who wants to protect him from all of this.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the dad who has so much to learn from his kid on how to be a better human being...
...the dad who loves his kid beyond reason...
...the dad who will stand by his kid no matter what...
...the dad who can relate because he went through the same thing...
...the dad who holds his tongue because he doesn’t want to embarrass his kid (and I know I probably would)...
...the dad who will always view his kid as his hero and role model for how to treat others...
...the dad who is tired of the meanness and hate of other kids...
...the dad who hopes his kid never reads this because it would embarrass him greatly...
...the dad who hopes for a dialogue between all parents and their kids, and not out of a position of fear, but out of a position of “Why would you intentionally hurt someone else?”...
...the dad who hopes that the bullies feel at least a tick of remorse for who they are becoming and what they are doing...
...the dad who hopes for a better tomorrow.
I’m the dad of that kid...
...the dad who had to say something.