Mom had a spot-on response to her son's headmaster bullying him

Parenting calls for supporting one’s child and being there for them throughout. Differentiating reprimanding from disrespect is a crucial element parents need to be wary of. Showing up for your child and being by their side through thick and thin is an important expectation children have but don’t voice often. Henry Wismayer (@henrywismayer) shared a post on X, revisiting the time his mum stood like a pillar for him. He revealed that his headmaster had bullied and degraded him blatantly. The mom responded with a “ferocious letter,” which he holds as an expression of her love and support. 

Written in 1998, the mum responded to the headmaster in an ongoing conversation about her son. Per the letter, the duo had a meeting wherein the son was brutally disrespected and called names. The mom had an on-point response, typed in a long and straightforward letter. “Although common sense dictates that I delay writing this letter until I have cooled down, I am aware that the end of term is near and the opportunity to respond to your ill-considered and offensive remarks might soon be lost,” the mom commenced writing. She mentioned that she was initially willing to support the principal’s remarks and guidance for the future of her child, per the assessment.

“You claimed that the purpose of our meeting was to decide what to do about Henry's failure,” the mom recalled. She was disheartened to learn that the meeting was for a different and painful purpose. The mom mentioned a remark the headmaster made about having to “suspend him because that's what I did with the other boy." What followed at the meeting were harshly critical and offensive statements. “You spent 45 minutes informing me that my son was worthless, arrogant, lazy, selfish and stupid (or should I use the preferred epithet ‘thick’ which cropped up 6 times in your conversation),” the mom noted.

The meeting broke her heart but she responded with a newfound strength to protect and support her son. Citing the headmaster's shrewd comment, "No University or employer will consider him when I have finished with him," the mom responded, “You came across to me as the worst sort of bully, one who knows he is unlikely to be held accountable for his actions.” She further added that the man had been ruthlessly “destroying” children with "an unremitting torrent of criticism and abuse.” She mentioned that despite her mistake of trusting the headmaster’s assessment previously, she would no longer comply. 

“I would prefer you to leave the disciplining of my son to a teacher less blinded by prejudice and spite, who might still be able to temper justice with mercy, a quality you lack,” the mom remarked. She concluded the letter by saying, “You say you have wasted a great deal of time on Henry and I have now wasted quite enough time writing this letter to you.” She strongly recommended, “Not to reply but do what you appear to have done to my son, consign it to the dustbin.”

The mom’s powerful statements undoubtedly instilled a sense of hope and self-esteem in the boy that, as a man, decades later, he still shows off the letter. @madwomanqc added, “Your mother’s wonderful onslaught in the name of justice has moved me. Her belief in you was more than vindicated.” @FrMartinFlatman noted, “What an excellent mother. It reminds me of my wife writing a brief note to the school after they complained that my son wasn't interested in sport - 'Not all Greeks are Spartans'.”