Jimmy Del Ponte On The Silly Side (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) The disturbing headlines I read this past week made me very concerned about the subject of child bullying. It has hit home, as there is bullying at some of our local schools. Administrators are having seminars and assemblies addressing the seriousness of bullying. Cyberbullying on Facebook and other online venues can be more hurtful and harmful to a child than if it happened in person.

As a short kid growing up, I got my share of bullying. When I left St Clements and went to the 9th grade at Western Junior High School, one guy was relentless in his stalking and taunting of me. I was afraid to leave my house, and when in school, I was afraid to turn each corner. I don't remember when it ended, but I do remember being terrorized.

Today, as it always has been, there is always that little clique of friends who travel in a pack and prey on the smaller, weaker kids. Today, one of their favorite bully words is "gay." "Hey Johnny, you're gay!" "Hey there's Timmy, he's gay!" Using this word is particularly hurtful to me because of all the gay friends I have and of all the gay friends I have lost over the years. But the word doesn't mean as much as the mere act of name calling. Why must they do it? Where do they learn it? What can parents do about it?

Whenever one of my kids says something about a particular kid and it's derogatory, I step right up and straighten him out. I say something along the lines of: "How would you like to be called that?" Actually my kids (and probably all kids) have been the subject of bullying in one way, shape or form. When we were kids, there were certain sections of the city we could not go near because of the groups of tough guys that staked that area out. It took me a half hour to walk from Ball Square to College Avenue because I had to avoid cutting through the park. Their job was to hang around and scare the Hell out of anyone who had to walk by them. I know guys who were bullies growing up and have become model parents and citizens today. Unfortunately, most of the hardcore bullies are no longer with us.

As parents we would like to rat out the bullies, but that would only lead to more abuse. Kids who are bullied usually do not tell their parents or teachers.

A bully usually does his or her best work when they have an audience to perform in front of. I know one such bully that is very sociable one on one, but when one of his fellow bullies arrives, that's when the "you're gay's" start flying. You tell your kids to just ignore the jerks, but it really grates on some kids. I learned the hard way and it only took one time.

There was a new kid at the newspaper office when we were paperboys. For some reason I became this offensive loudmouth bully and started picking on the new kid. He ignored me, and kept ignoring me until he couldn't take it anymore. He flew into me grabbed me by the shirt, and threw me to the sidewalk. He could have pounced on me and really finished me off but he didn't. Thank God. I ended up with a very deep and bloody gash on my elbow. That scar reminds me what can happen when you open your mouth in a hurtful or trouble-making way.

And on the other hand, when I was at Western Junior High, a bully picked a fight with me in front of school, and nudged me all the way down to Johnny D's, complete with an ever increasing crowd of spectators. When I couldn't take one more nudge from this little weasel, I grabbed him and did just what the paperboy did to me. Only this kid just kept getting up and coming at me, so down he went repeatedly. That was the only fight I ever remember having as a kid (not counting the occasional minor beatings my sister gave me for wearing her bell bottoms!).

Calling other kids hurtful names is senseless and painful. Something has to be done. The bullies are pushing their luck because they are eventually going to bump into that paperboy who they have under estimated. If they make it into the real world they may sadly bully the wrong person and pay heavy consequences. And it's just plain mean. So parents, please talk to your kids and make them aware of the pain they are causing. It's tough enough for a kid to just go to school in the first place, so a kid should be able to get an education without being in constant fear of being harassed by insensitive classmates.

A "Bravo!" to the cast and crew of Somerville High School's awesome production of Beauty And The Beast! What a show – you are all stars! The character of the Beast proves that a bully can truly change. Check out www.balanceeducationservices.com for more information on bullying.

Warm up with me this Thursday from 7pm to 9pm Amelia's Kitchen in Teele Square. Hot espresso from Delio, "Hot, hot, hot" sung by me and hot Christine your waitress. You can email Jimmy directly at jimmydel@rcn.com.