Would you call this bullying?

[georgeharrison]

Three boys are playing together - cousins all within 18 months in age.  They are all shooting each other with nerf guns.  Cousin one tells cousin two to shoot cousin three.  Cousin two shoots cousin three and hits him in the eye.  Cousin two says he didn't mean to shoot him in the face, didn't really aim.  Mom of cousin three comes in the room right after and confirms that cousin two immediately went to cousin three and asked if he was okay.

Grandma says that cousin one and two were being "bullies" to cousin three. 

[kwpnjumper55]

No, not really. I would call it an accident.

[georgeharrison]

Additional info: Cousin three is very sensitive and the youngest. Cousin three was upset about it and hung out with his mom on the couch for a long time with his mom rubbing his eye. I don't know if he was really hurt or if was more just his feelings were hurt.

[minion]

Sounds like kids being kids and playing to me.

[MrsPotatohead]

Jun 13, 2016 11:40:58 GMT -5 @lauralynne said:

I call what the kids are doing "playing"
I call what grandma is doing "overreacting"

ditto

I think bullying should be taken seriously, but I think it's also important to not just throw that word around carelessly, it loses meaning. 
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[ilovebed]

Nope. Not bullying. Just kids playing. And being remorseful!

[dana86]

Jun 13, 2016 14:15:51 GMT -5 MrsPotatohead said:

Jun 13, 2016 11:40:58 GMT -5 @lauralynne said:

I call what the kids are doing "playing"
I call what grandma is doing "overreacting"

ditto

I think bullying should be taken seriously, but I think it's also important to not just throw that word around carelessly, it loses meaning. 
Save

Agree with both of these. 

[georgeharrison]

Thanks guys. Cousin #2 is Tman, in case that wasn't super obvious. I got really mad that my mom called him a bully. I told her it was just boys playing. All of them had nerf guns and Tman claims he didn't mean to shoot cousin #3 in the face. Plus, it's just nerf! She says Cousin #3 has such a sweet heart, etc., but that doesn't make someone else a bully just because he's sensitive. James was about to freak OUT. Ha.

[spa]

I think grandma doesn't understand what bullying is?

[Beeps (WOT?*)]

It was an accident. Kids playing. Stuff happens.
As grandma to two kids who knock the crap out of each other, then hug and are BFF thirty seconds later, grandma needs to remember how kids are and that, again, stuff happens. And as a 1 of 3, there is *always* going to be a 2 against 1 at some point in their lives. Precious needs to understand that sometimes he's the 2 and sometimes the 1. (And that, my friends, is why I had FOUR kids. lol.)