In response to an incident that saddened his 9-year-old son, here’s an advice from a father on how to handle bullying from his son.
At the time of this writing, Isaac Irvine’s Facebook video has been viewed more than 130,000 times. Bodi Irvine, Irvine’s son, talks about being teased and being told he looked like a female because of his long hair in this endearing three-minute short.
It touched my heart to hear Irvine say to his son that he thinks his hair is great. In response to this, he inquires about Bodi’s long hair. The youngster explains, “I want to donate it.” Despite his altruistic intentions, Bodi says he “felt sad” since he was ridiculed because of his long, thick hair.
That’s when Irvine, with his tattoos all over his body, says to his son something really powerful: “Daddy gets made fun of too sometimes.”
Whoa.
By listening to his father’s personal story, Bodi realizes he isn’t the only victim of bullying. To help other youngsters who may be coping with bullying, he hopes to tell his tale.
He believes that being different is a positive thing since it indicates you think differently from the rest of the population, which is a good thing. His tattooed, bearded father (as well as myself) is moved to tears by this.
Intriguingly, Irvine told CBS News that he didn’t expect the footage to be made public. When it comes to his own children, he’s pleased if it helps other parents deal with the issue of bullying. “Hope they are motivated to open up to their children in the same way. It’s natural to turn to the school when you hear about someone being cruel at school. Tell your children that you’ll take care of it. I’d be depriving Bodi of a vital life lesson if I did that. If he’s strong enough, he can handle this one on his own.”
To pass the time, I’ll be over here clapping my hands together in admiration of Irvine.
Helpful related article: Bullying in Schools, Parents Should Be Aware of Four Types of Bullying, Your Child’s Bullying: What to Do When It Happens