Dad Makes Son Wear Brutal Sign After Catching Him Bullying

WESH/CNN

As many parents can surely relate, Michael Yager was mortified when he found out his son had been bullying his fellow classmates.

However, rather than grounding him and taking away his phone, the Florida dad exacted a truly embarrassing punishment, forcing him to experience the same sense of shame he’d made his victims feel.

Michael forced 13-year-old Jacob to stand at the side of a busy road, wielding a sign which read: ‘I’m a bully. Honk if you hate bullies.’

Some honked their horns to signal their hatred for bullies, and others even pulled their cars over to talk with the teen and his take-no-bull-poop dad.

WESH/CNN

Michael told WESH:

I figured I would teach him a lesson that would embarrass him and make him feel how the kids feel,

Although plenty of people admired Michael’s no-nonsense stance, others felt he was being a tad too harsh on his young son.

Michael admitted some passers-by were pretty cheesed off:

I had one woman come up and call me every name in the book. In my mind, I thought I was doing the right thing, but I guess you just can’t please everyone.

Find out more about Michael’s unusual form of fatherly wisdom below:

Luckily, it seems former bully Jacob has turned over a new leaf and has learnt his lesson. Going forward, he now wants to help rather than hurt others.

According to WESH, the New Smyrna Beach Middle School pupil has given the following advice to others who’ve been driven to bully:

You never know what someone can be going through.

If you want to be the bully, like if you have something inside you need to tell someone, go to a guidance counselor or someone.

Many people have taken to Twitter to discuss whether or not justice was served.

One mother applauded:

Good for the Dad for stepping up and showing his son what’s the consequences of being ‘ignorant.’ [sic]

A fellow father praised:

Love it! That’s a good parent right there. Need more.

However, not everyone was in favour, with some believing the lesson could’ve been learned in a different way.

One person suggested:

Bullying is learned behaviour…just wondering WHO this kid learned it from. Shaming is not ok, it’s bullying.

Community service might have been a better way to go?

Another commented:

Humiliating a bully is not the answer. Community service, a heart to heart talk, encouraging self-reflection…better methods.

According to statistics from the NSPCC, over 16,000 children in the UK are absent from school because of bullying, with over 24,000 Childline counselling sessions with children due to bullying in 2016/17 alone.

Bullying is an extremely important issue, and can have a drastic effect on a person’s life – at any age.

What do you think about this cautionary tale? Was Jacob’s punishment fair, or would you have used a different teaching method?

If you’ve been affected by bullying, and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (Part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am – 9pm, Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.