SPLENDORA, Texas (WSVN) — A Texas mom says she wanted to make it clear to her young son that he was turning into a bully — and now her method of discipline is going viral.
A mother, who only wanted to be identified as Star, told KTRK that her fifth grader was calling other boys “stupid” and “idiots.”
The self-described “old school parent” says she doesn’t coddle her children, and wanted to show him his actions have consequences. So she sent him to school in a gray shirt that read “I am a bully” with a frowning face on the front and back.
“I wanted to do something that would teach him why he can’t do those things; why he needs to take other people in consideration,” Star said. “I did what I had to do to stop it from progressing.”
But one child psychiatrist believes the public punishment may do more harm than good in the long run.
“It’s not a good idea to embarrass your child and solidify a negative identity in a elementary school child,” said Dr. Richard Pesikoff from Baylor College of Medicine. “She needs to find somebody to help her. And I think the school is one resource.”
However, the mom says she spoke with school administrators about her plan, noting her son’s counselor and teachers supported her decision.
“They all were 100 percent on-board, they understood why I was doing it,” she said. “And that for my son, this is what works.”
Star posted a photo of the shirt online, but took it down after receiving too much negative feedback. Still, she says she has no regrets because her son learned his lesson and apologized to all of the children he had bullied at school.
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