Dad confronted son's 11-year-old bully - he then took the bully shopping after learning a baffling truth

We often preach the need to be kind and humble. However, to be kind, one needs to experience kindness first-hand. Moreover, it is not one's actions but rather their reactions that determine the consequences. When a dad named Aubrey Fontenot faced a tough scenario, he proceeded with kindness and the results did not disappoint. The dad, who is a tattoo artist and father to a teen son named Jordan, shared that his son was being repeatedly bullied by an 11-year-old kid named Tamarion, per the Houston Chronicle.

“It seemed like the two always had issues. The bullying thing was ongoing. I asked my son about it and he told me the boy was messing with him and was too rough,” he recalled. The dad brought up the issue with the school, but they couldn’t do much. He then decided to meet Tamarion and see for himself what the problem was. Sharing a post on Instagram, the dad revealed a temporary reminder he shared with his son. He wrote, “It was hard not to tell my son not to whoop the boy's ass especially after he stole my son’s phone but I told him to keep your cool and let God work.”

On interacting with Tamarion, Fontenot realized there was a reason behind his behavior. He learned that due to unforeseen circumstances, the 11-year-old was homeless and his family was having a tough time affording basic necessities. Sharing the encounter on X, the dad wrote, “Spent some time with my son’s school bully yesterday just to dig a little deeper on ‘why?’ Come to find out he was being bullied for not having clean clothes and clean shoes.” Tamarion mentioned that he too was made fun of for having cheap and dirty clothes and he couldn’t afford anything better. 

Though the reason wasn’t a green signal to bully Jordan, the dad understood his situation and feelings. Instead of leaving him with just a warning or lashing out at him, he chose the path of kindness. He took Tamarion shopping and got him new clothes. In the video, the dad is seen hyping up the boy and building a sense of confidence and self-esteem in him. “Stick them shoulders out. Stand like you got some pride,” he said. He even managed to put a smile on the boy’s face. That smile felt like he let down his guard and was again able to be a happy child. He shared life lessons with Tamarion and let him know that his situation would never define him. 

“I also told him that no matter what's going on, you have to walk around with your head up and chest up. This world is tough. You can't let what people say or do bring your self-confidence down,” Fontenot added. And just like that, the problem was solved. The dad’s kindness easily fixed the issue and helped the so-called bully who himself was a victim in silence. He shared a follow-up thread of the duo hanging out together with the words, “Problem solved." Additionally, the dad also set up GoFundMe Me which raised over $30,000 for Tamarion and his family. @Styngraychosen wrote, “This encounter has most likely changed this young man's life.” @eric_england added, “Dude - you’re the real deal. Good on you.”  Fontenot taught his son a lesson too that fits right for us all. He said, “A war isn’t always won with your hands.”

This article originally appeared 2 months ago.