My Son Punched a Boy Making Racist Taunts

On a couple of occasions since Geoffrey moved to a French immersion school, he has ruefully commented to me “You are so lucky Dad that you don’t look Chinese.”  And then he recounts yet another incident of racist teasing by his classmates in the playground at recess.  But he flat refuses to provide the names of those responsible.  “I still have to play with these guys, Dad.”  Then in the 150 year tradition of parents of Chinese-Canadian children, I urge him to pay it no mind.  “These boys are ignorant idiots.  Be proud of your heritage.”

Yesterday Geoffrey told me a different story.  A much larger boy gives him the slitty eyed routine, mimicking his silly notion of the sounds of the Chinese language, and throwing in a couple of racial slurs.  Geoffrey as instructed by me does not respond to this taunting.  Instead he simply walks over to this latest “ignorant idiot” and silently slugs the boy in the stomach.  To Geoffrey’s evident satisfaction, the boy crumples to the ground writhing in pain.  Seems that all his hockey games and drills on the ice with the St. Catharines Peewee Hurricanes has made Geoffrey a lot stronger than he looks.  Turns out my son packs a mean punch.

(I recall that my Geoffrey’s 5’4” great-grandfather was something of a boxing champion in his division back in our ancestral home of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.  Subsequently Granddad coached amateur boxing part-time.  Too bad he did not live to see this day as his athletic prowess definitely skipped two generations.)

Anyway tacit message delivered, Geoffrey just walks away from his tormentor.  Me: “Well, anyway I still don’t think it is a good idea to hit people regardless.”  Geoffrey: “But Mummy thinks I did the right thing!”

There is more.  Subsequently the boy recovered from Geoffrey’s wallop and enraged by the unexpected turn of events sought Geoffrey out to seek revenge.  But just as he was fixing to pummel my son into a pulp, their teacher comes along. Witnessing what appears to be an unprovoked attack on  much smaller boy, she sends the bully off to the principal’s office.  Geoffrey gets off scot-free.

According to Geoffrey the bully spent a considerable time with the principal (“two units”, whatever that means in minutes).  On return the “ignorant idiot” was made to sit by himself at a desk well away from the rest of the class.

Consequently, Geoffrey is highly satisfied that justice has truly been served.

But as his father I am not sure how I should respond to all this.