Videoed primary school fight should be a wake-up call to parents – Hayley Matthews

Parents need to teach their children to be kind and make sure they are not involved in bullying, writes Hayley Matthews.

Parents need teach kindness to their children, says Hayley Matthews (Picture, posed by models: David Cheskin/PA)

I read a horrific post on Facebook on Thursday (which was public) and fairly serious so wanted to write my thoughts on the situation.

The post was from a parent of a child who attends a school in Coatbridge and is of P7 age. It told how her son was attacked by another pupil just as home time happened and this all kicked off in front of other children and parents. This happens in schools all the time yet, the most alarming part was that several children had encouraged the fight and made a video of the attack. I know this happens nowadays but it still sits very uncomfortably with me.

As a parent I can only imagine the emotions this poor mum is feeling just now and how her child must be feeling too.

When I was young (in the 80s) I don’t know how I would have coped with kids being this cruel and for the event being there for everyone to see. But let’s not put all the blame on the kids. The parents should be encouraging kindness, educating about bullying and group peer pressure as well as drumming home that children should expect to be treated how they treat others.

What kind of moral compass are we setting up for our kids if we don’t check their phones, speak to them about the knock-on effects of this kind of herd brutality and hold them accountable. Also, can you imagine what kind of adults these kids will grow in to? I know things are very different for kids and video content is part of their daily lives but seriously, there should be serious consequences for this kind of bullying.

I would encourage parents to check your children’s phones and what they’re up to. Let’s breed kindness, not hate!

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