Bullies

On Tuesday afternoon, I recieved a call from a young lady that goes to school with Austin. She has, in the past, had quite the thing for Austin, but it was unrequited. I liken it to my first crush. Austin is her Corey F... I can commiserate, oh how I can commiserate.

At any rate, she has, apparently, moved on. She has gotten herself a 13 year old "man" of a boyfriend, she so informed me. The reason for the call, however, was to preempt whatever it was the Austin was going to tell me when he got home. She literally called me the instant her feet hit the pavement off the bus. She informed me he was going to say she called him all these names, but she didn't say them, and if I didn't believe her, I could ask "AR." Hmmmm.....then how do you know what he's going to say and how do you know I'm going to believe him??? Interesting, to say the least. But, at the end, she did say that he told everyone that she was in love with a ten year old (how DARE he....she's ELEVEN!!!), but the truth is her boyfriend is 13. Ah, the trials and tribulations of the young...how I so miss it (NOT!!).

So, then my call waiting beeps and it's Austin, near tears. The young lady apparently called him a little B*tch, an f'er, and gay. She's called him these quite a bit the last two weeks (must have started around the time the "new man" entered the picture). I gave him retorts. I told him to tell her he can't be a little B because he's a boy; thank her for saying he was so happy; and ignore the F'er comment. This went much farther, though. The creme de la creme of it all...she told everyone at school that Austin got me pregnant with the triplets. Ohhhhhhh...no she didn't!!!! I told Austin I was on the other line with her and to get home immediately. I went back to her and said that I would be meeting with the teachers on Thursday anyway and I would figure it out then, but for now, I would take her side into consideration and listen to Austin's side and then decide.

I immediately hung up and called the middle school. I try to let Austin fight his own battles, but she has been bullying him for far too long and I am sick of it. The name calling is one thing, to say something like this is quite another. They said they would pull them both in in the morning and discuss it. I informed them that Austin was worried that she would start crying like she always did and get out of it. They said they would take that into consideration. I hung up and still had to comfort my son who at that moment, came flying in the back door.

We talked and I told him I had called the guidance counselor and principal and asked for his side of the story. Apparently, he did say she liked a 10 year old, but that was it. He didn't call her names, but he did when he got home. Oh, boy did he...and I didn't stop him. I felt like he needed to vent.

Austin came home from school today and FINALLY they are putting the bullying policy to good use. She has been given three Saturday Schools (which is exactly like it sounds...Saturday from 7-3) and if she says anything again she will be put on suspension for one day for each word. She is also to sit in the front of the bus and get on after Austin and if Austin wants to sit in the front, she needs to sit in a totally different spot. Since most of the trouble from her seems to come from the bus.

So I have a tiny bit more faith in our schools today, which is a good thing lately.