He is 14 and generally happy. Laughing and noisy as a starting point, sometimes angry and completely furious with his parents.
As most teenagers are, I assume.
The episode that this comment is about hasn’t changed that. Even so, it has left a mark on both me and my son that he was kicked by a stranger a few weeks ago.
The episode happened on an ordinary Friday afternoon at a bus stop in Aalborg, where he was waiting for the bus to football training with his friends. They frolicked and splashed, and my son put his friend on the ground for fun.
He obviously shouldn’t have done that, because it caused a man to approach him from behind and kick him in the rear thigh. Hard. The boys were startled and started shouting. The man took no further notice of them and left the place calmly.
The whole thing probably took less than half a minute, and the physical consequences are non-existent, so why doesn’t it just stop there?
First, because there is talk of an abuse, and anyone who has been the victim of one knows the loss of control that comes with it: It wasn’t my son’s fault, it happened for no reason, but it DID happen, and it doesn’t go away. His complete trust in the world is no more.
Second, the immediate reaction of disbelief is quickly replaced by the second feeling, doubt. Doubts about whether he was also completely innocent now fills the room. The stranger was obviously provoked by their play. Should they just stop doing this sort of thing in the open street? Is it okay for an adult to break in and try to stop it if he thought they were fighting?
That part has filled up, especially after an otherwise good chat with the officer on duty at the police, whom we called after the episode. He was fair and said that he would like to send a colleague over to record a report, but that there was probably no basis for a case of violence. After all, nothing had happened, and the boys’ pool had perhaps been misunderstood.
Fair, but also an assessment that helps cast a layer of doubt over the situation.
The third thing I’ve learned is to remind myself that we live in one of the world’s safest butterholes, surrounded by mostly peaceful and decent people. Imagine if random violence was something you had to constantly think about as a risk when you walked the streets. Imagine if 14-year-olds couldn’t roll around, laugh and goof off wherever they wanted.
We’ll take that with us. That, and then the experience that something good can be both nothing and still fill a good part.
2024-12-06 20:07:00
#son #kicked #stranger #changed #thought
What are some of the underlying factors that may contribute to violence among teenagers in the community?
Let’s discuss this shocking incident of violence against a teenager caught on camera.
Joining me today is Alex Reed, a local community leader who has been advocating for increased safety measures in the wake of this attack. Alex Reed, thank you for being here.
Could you tell our viewers what happened to this young Missouri teenager and the impact it’s had on the community?
This incident, captured in a viral video, shows a disturbing act of violence against a young man who was brutally beaten. According to reports [[1](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missouri-teen-beaten-viral-video-icu-limited-speech-trouble-walking-at-rcna145725)], the victim, a teenager, sustained severe injuries from the attack and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. He is now out of ICU but continues to face challenges with speech and mobility.
The community is understandably outraged and shaken by this act of senseless violence. People are demanding justice for the victim and calling for increased efforts to ensure the safety of young people in our neighborhoods.
What would you say needs to be done to address the root causes of such violence and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future?
It is a tragedy that an incident like this happened to such a carefree young man. Alex Reed has provided crucial insights on this disturbing event for our viewers.
Our thoughts are with the victim and their family as they continue to recover.
