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This article is from Today's Native Father, issue #135, September/October, 2004. Related articles from this issue:
Bullying: It's Not Just a Stage of Childhood
Cougars, Sharks and Hyenas
The Power of Words

He was one of the youngest and smallest first-graders in a school that was large enough to have two first-grade classrooms. His teacher was an experienced woman, firm but kind. In the classroom he was treated well.

On the playground it was a different story. There he encountered larger, stronger, more aggressive third-grade boys who made his life miserable. Playground supervision was inadequate to stop the bullying. He began to dread school.

The school principal was a kind man. He listened patiently when first-grade boys complained to him about harassment. But he could not be everywhere all the time, and the bullying continued.

Then the boy’s mother had an idea. She knew about boys, and she knew how to make good cookies. One day she put an extra bag of cookies into his packed lunch and gave him instructions how to use them. She reminded him what Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

From then on, whenever bullies threatened, he offered them cookies. It wasn’t long until they came to regard him as a friend. Things even went better in the classroom. Both his behaviour and his marks improved, and he was promoted to grade 2 with a good report. The lessons he had learned stayed with him for life.

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