Bobby was bigger and more aggressive than most kids his age. Bobby's aggression made me and a lot of other kids slink around school and the neighbourhood. He was the toughest and meanest kid in my school.

    Bobby had a reputation for beating up kids for just about any reason he needed. It seemed he would beat kids up for just looking at them. 

    One day I heard a ruckus in the schoolyard and all the kids were running to the sound. There was Bobby punching my best friend Barry. My stomach churned and tossed, I thought I was going to be sick. One of Bobby's henchmen saw me grabbed and punched me. All I could do was watch my best friend cry and take punches. I was trembling with fear and my side was stinging from the punch. Bobby looked up at me and said, "You want some of this!"

    I felt I had no choices at all. Run and be labelled a coward and suffer the emotional pain or stay and get beaten up to suffer the physical pain. These were the only choices I was aware of at the time as I, like most kids, had no skills for coping with conflict. I stayed and took my punishment from bobby without saying a word. 

    I am now here more than twenty-five years later to tell you that you have other choices and the Bully Proof program teaches you other options.

Copyright © 2000 Frank Zinck. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 21, 2008