Mom Finds Ingenious Way To Get Son's Classmate To Stop Ripping Up Notes She Puts In His Lunchbox

The phrase "Hurt people hurt people" is popular for a reason!

When someone has a vital need that isn't being met, they often seek it out in unkind ways, because they know being unkind will get them one thing: attention.

Mom and Instagrammer Christina Stabile was in the habit of sending her son a packed lunch each day for school, including a napkin with a sweet, handwritten note.

She soon found out that her son hadn't been able to enjoy the notes, however, because another little boy took them away from him and ripped them up.

She admitted that she initially wanted to retaliate against her son's peer and maybe reach out to the teacher to see that he received discipline. But then she dug a little deeper and decided to do something different.

Stabile explained:

"I tapped into my wounded inner child. I could remember, you know, being upset anytime anybody ever got something that I perceived I didn't have."

So instead of trying to get the little boy in trouble, she wrote a note for her son, as usual—and included a second note for him to give to his classmate.

The little boy refused to take the first note, and even demanded that Stabile's son rip the note up, which he refused to do.

A few days later, her son shared the good news that the other little boy had finally accepted his special note, and there hadn't been an issue since.

You can watch the video here:

Fellow Instagrammers loved her approach.

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

@cm.stabile/Instagram

It would be so easy for parents, at the end of a stressful day, to want discipline for their child's bully, to call their child's teacher or the principal and demand justice, or even direct their child on how to get revenge.

But by choosing kindness and leaning into what the child might actually need, this mom was able to make him feel more included and loved than he was back when he ripped up the notes.