Bullying is one of the greatest evils in our society, and while an adult can struggle with the ordeal, it’s even harder for a young child to do so. Indeed, sometimes it can be so hard that they just want to give up.
Sadly, this was the case for Brandy Noel’s son AJ, an eight-year-old who ended up in hospital, on suicide watch, due to his bullying ordeal at the hands of three older boys.
A distraught Brandy took to Facebook to share her story and make a powerful statement about the damaging effects of bullying. In the post, she shared a picture of her smiling son, with a scribbled-on caption reading: “Mom, they bully me so bad, I want to kill myself.”
Describing AJ as “the sweetest, funniest, most loveable kid”, Brandy revealed that his world has been turned upside-down by this horrific bullying.
In response, Brandy has tried various different avenues to shut the bullying down, including speaking with the kids themselves and their parents, but nothing was done and the bullying just continued.
#StandWithAj This is my Aj. He is the sweetest, funniest, most loveable kid. He is my heart. Unfortunately, he has been...
Posted by Brandy Noel on Saturday, March 5, 2016
While the situation progressed to the stage where Brandy knew her son was depressed, what happened recently left her truly bewildered and terrified.
“I just didn’t realise how bad his depression was. Then, my sweet boy just had enough and the depression and anger got to be too much for him, and he acted out. He is now hospitalised and on suicide watch,” she wrote.
In an emotionally-charged open-letter, Brandy shared her anger and frustration over the situation and how it had been left to escalate.
“I'm angry that no one took us seriously. I'm angry at those children’s parents for failing them and, in return, failing my child. I'm angry that these parents couldn’t build their kids up with confidence so they could help others up rather than making them so insecure they had to tear others down. I'm angry the adults in control did not put a stop to it,” she wrote.
With her post, she launched the ‘Stand with AJ’ movement, and with the incredibly powerful piece going viral, AJ and his family have received amazing support from people all over the world.
Thankfully, AJ is now home and resting, and has been inundated with messages of strength. Here’s hoping that this is a major turning point for this little boy, and that things will only get better from here.
