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What would you do if you found out your child was being bullied?<\/p>\n
For this father, his immediate instinct was to confront his child’s alleged bully, before bringing him to the vice-principal’s office.<\/p>\n
In a video posted on May 10, user Shaun Yeo took to his social media platforms to recall what he did when his son was allegedly slapped by a “bully”, where he emphasised the importance of showing up for one’s children as a parent.<\/p>\n
“My son got slapped outside of school and the boy proudly chanted a gang slogan some more,” Yeo explains in the video. “What should I do?”<\/p>\n
He proceeded to add that he had rushed down to the scene and was “overwhelmed with emotions” when he was on the way, as this was not the first time his son had been attacked by the same student.<\/p>\n
“This boy is a school bully who always chooses violence,” he said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Yeo felt that he did not want to give his son the impression that “we should resort to violence to solve issues”, and as such went for a more level-headed approach.<\/p>\n
He said he then brought the boy back to school and sent him to the vice-principal’s office. The name of the school was not mentioned in his videos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I just wanted to let him know that this father very on one [sic], so don’t come near my son,” he added.<\/p>\n
Yeo then attributed this as an example of being present for one’s child.<\/p>\n
“We may not be very rich, and we may not lead an extravagant life, but as a parent, we are there to celebrate their small wins, and be there to support them in downtimes.<\/p>\n
“Your kids just need a safe space to grow up and know that ‘my daddy will always be here’,” he concluded.<\/p>\n
When AsiaOne contacted Yeo, who is a content creator, he said that the conflict arose as the bully wanted to shake his 13-year-old son’s hand, like a “dab”, but his son refused as he had hit him twice before on previous occasions.<\/p>\n
According to Yeo, 42, his son goes to a school in the east, and he had promised the principal that he would not reveal the school’s name.<\/p>\n
He said that he had rushed down to the scene after his son had called him, as the bully had allegedly told his son that he would call his gang down to the school, even though nobody showed up in the end.<\/p>\n
“I was furious,” Yeo said. “This wasn’t the first time. Every parent would be angry”.<\/p>\n
The school had told him that the boy was suspended, and was asked to perform Corrective Work Order (CWO). The boy has also since apologised to Yeo through a phone call.<\/p>\n
Yeo added that this had occurred about a month ago, on April 17.<\/p>\n
He said that the bully had hit his son before in Primary 3 and 6, and had been punished multiple times before.<\/p>\n
Yeo also claimed that he was a “known school bully”, and had allegedly also kicked another student in the shin two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
His son had wanted to bring the victim to the general office to report on this matter, but the boy retaliated and begged his son not to do so, and almost pushed his son down the stairs as a result of the confrontation.<\/p>\n
“After I went down that day, I assured my son that there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Yeo said. “[The bully] doesn’t attack my son anymore, but I can’t speak for other students.”<\/p>\n
Yeo added that as an ex-convict himself, he believed in second chances, and hoped that the boy would change.<\/p>\n
Last month, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that it would strengthen anti-bullying efforts<\/a> by implementing stricter disciplinary measures and improving on reporting channels and disciplinary processes.<\/p>\n These measures include an online platform that will give students an additional avenue to seek help that will be launched in 2027.<\/p>\n Harsher penalties for bullies will also be implemented, such as caning, suspension, and grade adjustments, depending on the severity of the issue.<\/p>\n [[nid:735145]]<\/p>\n daoen.wong@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n