America has dealt with bullies the wrong way for far too long.
Some might tell you to respond to a bully with a swift punch to the nose.
And we’ve even seen those videos where parents have shamed their children after finding out that they’ve bullied someone else.
But none of those methods actually stop the bully.
It just creates more bullying.
It doesn’t get to the root of why a bully has to lash out and hurt others.
That’s why Aubrey Fontenot decided to approach the situation differently when he found out that his son was being bullied.
He decided to approach his son’s bully with compassion.
He wanted to know why the boy was so hostile.
So, he asked the bully, whose name is Tamarion, why he has a problem with his son Jordan.
He found that that Tamarion was actually being bullied himself and was taking it out on Jordan.
“I asked ‘Who? You’re big, who is picking on you?’ He said ‘All the other kids, they make fun of me,’” Aubrey said.
Tamarion told Aubrey that he gets bullied for not having clean clothes and shoes.
Aubrey says the school hasn’t done much but the teachers suggested there was something going on in Tamarion’s home life.
So, Aubrey decided to call Tamarion’s mother to see what was going on.
He found out that Tamarion’s family was struggling financially and were currently homeless.
“It started to make perfect sense. We have no clue what these children are going thru these days because a lot of us just don’t care ..and this is not an uncommon story for a lot of people,” Aubrey said on a GoFundMe page.
Aubrey decided that he would help out to try and make Tamarion feel better and buy him some new clothes and shoes.
He took Tamarion out with him and spent the day with him.
“I spent a lot of my day yesterday by shopping and teaching this young man about self-respect,” Aubrey explained.
“Integrity. Morals. Confidence. And other things that consist of going from a troubled youth to a great man.. we all come from different backgrounds but we all share the same goal of success… I see wayyyyyy too much flexing and twerking .. clubs n etc.. not enough helping to our black community.. these young kings need us man, they really do,” Aubrey said.
Tamarion also got to spend time with Jordon and the two got to know each other a little bit better.
“One kid said one thing, another kid said something. I said we need to settle this stuff like men,” Aubrey said.
Aubrey, who owns a tattoo shop, said he was bullied as a child which is what inspired him to bring his son and his son’s bully together.
“It taught me something. I was angry at first, then I said let me try something different,” Aubrey said.
Now Tamarion and Jordan are friends or “homies” if you ask Jordan.
They like to play video games together and even share a controller.
Aubrey continued to go out of his way for Tamarion and his family.
He started a GoFundMe page for the Tamarion’s family. The original goal was $7,000 but has since raised more than $27,500. You can donate to that page here.
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