Dad sues parents of bullies

[iradney]

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_A...297605,00.html

You reckon this would make a difference at all??

[edible_hat]

Short term: the kid will get picked on more.

Long term: people might start actually disciplining their kids out of fear of a lawsuit.

[crazylegs]

Taking action against the parents of children who are acting anti socialy works over here, I can't see why it won't work in other places.

E.g.
If a child is causing misery for others in a social housing estate the council has the power to evict the parents if they do not attempt to curb the behaviour of the child. This is incredibly effective.

[Shangri-laschild]

Short term: the kid will get picked on more.

Long term: people might start actually disciplining their kids out of fear of a lawsuit.

Once you get to this point

had to receive medical and psychological treatment, endure derision and mockery, and see his progress at school being impaired

then a lot of damage has probably already been done. If they hadn't done anything, the kid was already going to keep getting picked on anway but the original kid. It's at least got a chance.

[Rapscallion]

I'm vaguely surprised he hasn't tried to sue the school for not preventing it.

Rapscallion

[CaroPhoenix]

Raps - don't give up hope yet! If the case against the bully's parents is either thrown out or he doesn't get all that he thinks he should, he'll sue the school.

That being said, I do think it's a good idea to hold the parents of a bully responsible. I'm a military brat. Your kid gets into trouble/is trouble/does trouble to other kids, it's the parent in the military who is reamed and then they come home & ream you.

Parents need to parent and that includes teaching your child NOT to bully others.

[Saydrah]

I think it's a good idea. If the kids feel adult enough to make the decision to assault another child, they should be adult enough to deal with all the same consequences. If people working at a business beat up on a coworker, they'd get sued. They are harming the kid in ways that will stay with him forever- it's only fair that they get a lesson in that their actions may also have consequences that stick around forever.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I'm vaguely surprised he hasn't tried to sue the school for not preventing it.

Rapscallion

If that were a US case, the school would be the first sued.

[XCashier]

You reckon this would make a difference at all??

It couldn't hurt. If this makes even one bully open his/her eyes, realize how horrible he/she has been and make an effort to be a better person, it's a worthy difference.

[Amethyst Hunter]

If this makes even one bully open his/her eyes, realize how horrible he/she has been and make an effort to be a better person, it's a worthy difference.

That depends on what type of bully you're dealing with. There are bullies who are bullies out of sheer ignorance/peer pressure and who can be persuaded to change their ways, and then there are bullies who get off explicitly over causing other people misery and who *resent* having this opportunity taken away from them, like it's their God-given right to pick on people they don't like.

The first type can be improved. There is little (if any) hope for the second type.

[LabCat]

The 2nd type of bully Amethyst Hunter refers to are usually sociopaths that grow into adult sociopaths.