Hats off to the Boy Scouts and leaders for trying to deal with the horrible issue of bullying.
My son, who is 20 now, being a big boy, dealt with not only bullying but teasing, taunting and being ridiculed almost every day he went to school. High school was the worst. These kids went to school every day with my son and knew he was a big boy, but they couldn't leave him alone; some of them just had to make his life miserable every day.
He was also kicked and went through horrible things. We finally told him to do what he had to to defend himself (which he didn't want to do, being more gentle and kind than a fighter) and when he did, he was the one who was punished or suspended from school.
The pain and heartache my son goes through and has gone through, our family also goes through. It is awful. It is not only the kids who can be vicious. Adults can be just as cruel. I believe if God wanted us all to be the same and thin, he would have made us that way. But, no, we are all individuals and should be treated with kindness and respect no matter of our size, shape or color.
Growing up with a weight problem my whole life, I have also gone through all the horrors my son has. People are killing themselves because they can't deal with the awful pain of being bullied, teased and taunted. Stop the madness by teaching yourself and your children that we are all the same and bullying should not be tolerated.
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The pain never ends for my son. On May 14, 2006, he was in an ATV accident and is paralyzed from the chest down and is in a nursing home dealing with horrible pressure sores that could eventually kill him. Because he is a big boy and has an oversized wheelchair, he also deals with discrimination. We have had transportation companies in the Fargo-Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, Minn., and Fergus Falls, Minn., area that have refused to transport him.
And he does not fit through most handicapped-accessible buildings because he is not of average size. I didn't know you couldn't be heavy and have handicaps.
P.S. Hooray for Hooters. My son wanted to go to Hooters for his 20th birthday in December, but their door was not wide enough. So Hooters came to my son and surprised him on his birthday with gifts, photos and food and friendship galore. What a kind, caring and exceptional business.
