[H]ere are three things I now know I should have done: I didn't tell the mother that bullying can be prevented, and that it's up to the school. I didn't call the principal or suggest that the mother do so. And I didn't give even a moment's thought to the bullies, and what their lifetime prognosis might be.
[...] Dr. Robert Sege, chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center and a lead author of the [American Academy of Pediatrics] new policy statement, says the Olweus approach focuses attention on the largest group of children, the bystanders. "Olweus's genius," he said, "is that he manages to turn the school situation around so the other kids realize that the bully is someone who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect."
