Bad behavior

A relative of mine who is a mother of two little girls told me the following story. A third grade elementary school girl was terrorized regularly by one of her classmates who would order her to yield part of her lunch and sometimes buy a coca-cola for her.

Although this seems somewhat insignificant to adults, the girl became so traumatized that she dared not tell her teacher about it but instead asked her mother to transfer her to another school. I have heard and read about older boys bullying a younger boy at school, but never girls.

I've also heard a story about a high school boy who was robbed of his wrist watch by students from another school. He did not resist because he was outnumbered three to one. Robbing or snatching away other students' belongings is a common phenomenon in large cities, often without the intention of possessing the items. It seems that the older boys only want to show off their prowess.

I might conclude that bad character among adults seems to have developed from behavior in their early childhood.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta