Commie asked me to join in this debate, and I have promised him I won't wum.
I have two lads, a teenager and one half his age, so they have a mixture of interests.
The 16 year old is already 6ft 1inch, plays first team rugby for his school and is a member of a local rugby club, and takes boxing lessons from a professional boxer.
The 9 year old is not going to be as big as his brother, but has never taken any **** from any one.
My message to both my boys, from the very start - and I have consistently pressed this home to each of them - don't be a bully, but if anyone pushes you, give them something to think about. I am proud to say that neither of my boys are bullies, but neither is either bullied. Oh, a few have tried, but a swift couple of digs later saw to it that such nonsense would not be repeated in the future.
That is how I was brought up, and it is how I was able to get myself a good education at a very tough school. Kids who were good at such silly things as Maths and English, and Science were seen as "****s" or "spazs," and bullying them was seen as acceptable. I was taught to take none of that, and I quickly learned that the only real way to get the respect of these non-intellectual types was to go in hard and fast, and take no prisoners.
But if the unfortunate assailant was prepared to admit he had been in the wrong, I would always shake his hand. You spend a long time at school with these kids, and so it's important to find some mutual space with them.
