Mum says she's proud her son punched his 'bully' - but her admission divides parents. Photo / Facebook/LauraMazza
Mum says she's proud her son punched his 'bully' - but her admission divides parents. Photo / Facebook/LauraMazza
This story was one of NZ Herald Lifestyle's top stories for 2021
A mum has divided opinion after revealing she is "proud" her son punched his "bully".
Laura Mazza, 33, from Melbourne, said her six-year-old son, Luca, told her he had to do something to stop the classmate from bullying him.
The mummy blogger, who is also mum to Sofia, 4, and James, 2, went on to say she felt "a little bit proud" Luca stood up for himself – adding that she thanked him for being "honest" and talked about different ways of handling the situation without violence.
But her admission was met with mixed reviews as other mothers suggested the boy should have sought help from an adult rather than resort to violence.
"My son punched another kid today. He told me that another boy was picking on him, and when he told him to stop, he pushed him off the playground, then ran away," she wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram on Thursday.
"And I asked him, 'OK, so what did you do?'
"He said, 'I chased him and punched him in the face so he knows never to bully me again. I knew the teacher wouldn't do anything so I had to stop him from bullying me.'"
Melbourne mother Laura Mazza opened up about feeling pride when she discovered her son punched his 'bully'. Photo / Facebook/LauraMazza
Laura went on to say: "But was I proud? Yeah a little bit. I know violence isn't the answer but I also know that when it comes to bullies you gotta stand up to them.
"I'm glad he did. I'm sad I wasn't there to protect him and that he was let down by adults, but I'm glad he stood up for himself, because as an adult that's still one of the hardest things to do.
"I want my kids to know that the bad guy doesn't win."
The mum, who has almost 38,000 followers, said she doesn't think her kids are "angels" but stressed her son isn't the type to "hit anyone randomly or ever bully anyone".
"He is sweet by nature. In the six years I've known him, I've never ever witnessed him punch someone unprovoked.
"If you told me it was my daughter, well, that's a different story."
She asked people for their opinions on the incident, and got a mixed bag when it came to responses.
Those who supported her reaction said Luca did the right thing, adding teachers aren't always able to help or intervene.
"Well done! He handled it well and so did you! Some kids push the boundaries and never see the repercussions of their behaviour," one said.
"Honestly, I would be super proud of my son if it were him! Sadly some teachers don't always help the right children," another added.
While one woman wrote: "Well done Luca! Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. There's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and I totally think he did the right thing."
However, one said the boy should have gone to his teacher first.
"How does he know the teacher wouldn't do anything? Kids often feel this but it may or may not be the case," she argued.
