What do we do about kids being teased?

Omni asks this question, is there any good advice that a parent can give a child that will end school yard bullying.

Being the brunt of bullying in my child hood and having asked for some advice from my mom (believe or not) She gave me some advice that worked.

One, get strong and tough and learn how to fight.

Two, don't take any crap from the bullies.

Three, get in the first lick and make it a good one.

Four, then proceed to beat them so bad that they don't walk but run away from you.

Five, be so nice that the bullies get confused and then don't know what to do.

Six, preach the gospel of Jesus from this position of strength (that will definitely confuse them).

Seven, always deny that you want to fight them but leave them them suspecting secretly that you would like to stain the floors with their blood.

Eight, When an appropriate moment arrives do something that makes them think that you are totally whacked and unpredictable which scares the hell out of a manipulative and controlling bully.

Actually...............My moms advice was to laugh with them and I learned to make jokes about myself so the dudes wouldn't have to. But I did all the rest of those things. I was nice but ready to drop anyone in a second. Also I fought the toughest kid in the class, more than held my own and even had the second toughest guy tell me I would have won if I would have kept on fighting. I wonder if he knew he just told me I was really the toughest kid in the class. All I needed to show him was that if it was really serious I would kick his a--. I just kept being nice.

I didn't initially have those strengths or traits but I developed them with hard work and a goal of earning some quiet respect.

. It also helps that I have world class reflexes.

I gave some of this advice to my son and taught him to fight. He never lost. But was well liked by most of the class. I am proud of him. I did tell him by the age of 17 that it was time to learn to talk his way out, but by then it ended up being more like, " If you hit my sister again I am gonna shove my size 12 foot up your a-- so far you will be chewing rubber for a week". Good enough.........the young tough got the message.

Besides by then he was benching over 300 and squatting about 550.

His most recent escapade came about in some freeway rage in which the boy came to the rescue of a friend of his by taking on a guy that was a bit bigger. When he got to the reception he was "all smiles", says my daughter. I wonder who won? Well to hear my son talk about it he got the dudes shirt over his head(like in hockey)and thumped him around enough so he could get back in the car and scoot. I guess gettin bagged was enough for the guy cause he didn't give chase.

I am soooo proud.

I taught my daughter a few moves too, like how to make a fist, and to hit straight. Well a girl decided to pick one with her one night and wouldn't let up(I guess thinking she was going to get into a cat fight). Neeeeey says papa. I taught her well. When the crazy bopper grabbed my babies hair it went from cat to street. My youngest proceeded to pummel the offender of hair roots about the face and body and then returned the yankin favor by grabbing the other girls hair one hand on each side of the head for leverage and using the stringy hand holds to pull the girls head into a harsh meeting with my daughters right knee several times until the crowd pulled them apart. That's my girl. I understand no amount of makeup covered miss kitties bruised up face.

I am just overflowing with glee. I raised them right.

Be nice but be ready to waste em at a drop.

Same thing I taught my brother Al. Be so nice that the bullies are not in the right and be so ready that it isn't mad (mutually assured destruction)it is just plain mad.

I think if you ever met any of those three you would be very impressed at how nice and sweet they are, but you mess with them and they will rip you apart and feel no sorrow over it.

And I will be tickled all over.

I suppose that people would argue that in today's street smart world where it is dangerous that this is not relevent advice any more, but there are a few things that I understand about the street that they haven't thought of. That is that the street still likes nice; it tries to take advantage of nice, but it still likes nice, and the street still understands being in the right. The combination makes for respect. The strength and martial knowledge is just for the truly idiotic fools to unwise to make it in the wild and probably need to sniffle blood through a broke nose while trying to figure out how come when they talk it comes out like "mff mff nssh mfl" because their broken jaw suddenly isn't working any more.

By the way if this is a Darwinian world, that would make this survival of the fittest advice. Are you people sure you want to go down that path?