Randy Smalls was bullied as a child, so he decided to offer his daughter’s victim a gift in order to teach his daughter a lesson she will never forget.
The 35-year-old father of three told Yahoo Lifestyle “I say, ‘When you laugh along, you’re co-signing the bullying,’” explaining why he decided to take these steps.
He felt genuine sympathy for Ryan Reese, a seventh-grade student at Berkeley Middle School who had been the target of his daughter Re’Onna’s bullying. He went on to say, “I wanted to help Ryan so she wouldn’t have this issue anymore.”
According to FaithIt, his daughter was apparently part of a group of friends who made fun of Ryan’s makeup and clothes in school. Even though the girls’ parents were friends, they had no idea what was going on at school. After learning about the situation, they joined together, and Smalls revealed his plan of action.
Instead of using money to buy clothes for his 13-year-old daughter Re’Onna, Smalls opted to treat Ryan to a shopping spree. “My daughter was upset, especially because she is into fashion. So she came with us and helped pick out Ryan’s new clothes,” he remarked.
Besides buying pants, shirts, and shoes for Ryan, he also took her to the salon while his daughter was at church. He told her family that he would cover Ryan’s hair costs till the end of the year. Other area salons jumped on the bandwagon, ensuring that Ryan looks stylish for the next few months.
Richuana, Ryan’s mother, 44, revealed to the publication that her daughter had been having non-epileptic seizures due to stress stemming from the deaths of her father, grandparents, and aunt. She was thrilled the shopping spree made Ryan happy again, but she was surprised by Smalls’ strategy.
“This is the first time I have seen a parent take such a stance on bullying,” she said.
Smalls, who was shocked at how viral his response went, said, “I didn’t expect for this to get big but I’m glad if other parents [can learn from it]. My daughter learned her lesson.”
It also produced results, as Richuana attested that Ryan and Small’s daughter are “cool now.”
