Grandboy: Pointing is rude. Gwumpa, doing THIS (points his finger in my face) is bad.

Me: Yes, it is. How did you learn that?

Grandboy: At school. If you point like this (points to the wall, now that I’ve redirected his arm) and say, “Na na na na na” (wiggling his head) then you’ll be a BULLY. And that’s RUDE.

Me: Yep. (We nibble on our chocolate brownies)

Me: So what if the WHOLE CLASS was doing that to someone? Would you do it?

Grandboy: NO. That’s being a bully.

Me: And what if your best friend at school was doing it with them? Would you do it then?

Grandboy (exasperated): BAAAAH! NO GWUMPA. Still bad.

Me: You’d probably talk to your friend to tell him to stop.

Grandboy: Yep to tell him to STOP being BAD and to be a good friend.

(More chocolate brownies are nommed)

Me: So what if the whole class was doing that to a bully?

(pause and think)

Grandboy: Yah, that’s ok.

Me: Why? Then YOU’D be like the bully.

Grandboy: To make the bully STOP. So he knows how it FEELS.

Me: True. He needs to know it hurts to be teased. But maybe also you could TALK to the bully, like you would your friend. You never know, that may make a difference.

Grandboy: Yah. I like that, Gwumpa. I’ll talk to him.

As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined