There's no doubt that bullying can have a profound effect on a child's development. Bullying often stems from the enabling of the parent, but this month, when a father from South Carolina learned that his daughter was bullying a classmate, he taught his kid a valuable lesson.
He decided to treat her victim to a lavish shopping spree, where he spent money on her target which was originally meant to go to his daughter instead.
Randy Smalls, a middle linebacker who hails from Pinewood, learned that his daughter Re'Onna and some of her seventh-grade classmates at Berkeley Middle School had been teasing another girl. They'd allegedly been harassing Ryan Reese over her scruffy clothes.
Randy, who had himself been bullied in his youth, felt sympathy for Ryan. So he decided to help her out. He phoned Ryan's mom and explained the situation for her, and then treated Ryan to a day of shopping while his daughter was at church.
Watch this bullying victim breaks down in tears after their classmates surprise them:He bought Ryan new pants, shirts, and shoes, and even took her to a beautician for new makeup. He also convinced local salons to donate services to ensure she stays stylish for the next few months.
Taking to Facebook, Randy posted two pictures of Ryan wearing her new clothes and captioned the post: "Y'all meet my new friend Ryan. This is how I met her. My daughter and a few of her classmates thought it was fun or funny to pick on Ryan last week. Ryan's mom reached out to me about my [daughter's] actions towards Ryan and we became friends just that fast. [sic]"
He continued: "They picked on her because of how she dressed, her shoes and hair. So being that I DON'T like bullying, I decided to take my daughter's money and took Ryan shopping and to get her hair done so my daughter and her fellow classmates will not have anything to pick on Ryan about again. [sic]
"Matter fact everytime Reonna gets her hair done Ryan will too. This post is not to brag but to show you parent's how I handle my child being a bully." [sic]"
However, this story does have a happy ending. According to WSFA 12, News, Re'Onna and Ryan are now friends, and Randy has launched a local community initiative called 'Parents Against Bullying' to tackle the issue in schools.
Related - This father made his son walk to school after discovering he had been bullyinng other students:
