Every mom would go the distance to protect their child, but Florida mom, Debbie Piscitella, was arrested when she went too far. Piscitella was taken into custody after choking the 14-year-old boy who was cyber-bullying her teenage daughter. Now, she is owning up to the error of her ways.
Appearing on Good Morning America yesterday__, Piscitella admits that she "lost it"__ after administrators failed to respond to her pleas for help on behalf of her daughter. Piscitella says she contacted the School Resource Office and even the police, but nothing was done about the spiteful and sexual comments that the boy wrote about her daughter, McKenna, on Facebook. When the two got into a confrontation at the mall and the boy said he wouldn't stop bullying McKenna, Piscitella reacted. She was later released on bail.
"I wish there would have been another route I had taken… I don't go around doing that to children. I don't want to sound like I'm a huge monster," she said, also admitting that she regrets the entire altercation.
Read more ¿Qué más?: How far would you go to protect your daughter from a bully?
I don't, by any means, condone Piscitella's actions but I have to admit I can understand why she reacted the way she did. Lately, young kids have gotten so out of hand with bullying, on the Internet or otherwise, leading many to depression and even suicide. And with less and less restrictions on social media sites like Facebook, it's extremely difficult to control what is being said in a public forum. I can imagine how frustrating and terrifying it must feel to watch your child be devastated by some other kid's cruel taunts.
In fact, I kind of sympathize with her. Don't get me wrong—her actions were completely out-of-line. She's an adult and she should've been able to handle her temper like one. But looking at her situation, all I can do is think of any of the younger members of my family being bullied like her daughter was and I feel immediate rage rising in my throat. I wouldn't act on it the way she did, but I have to say I understand the temptation.
Want to find other Parenting news? Like us on Facebook!
Plus, just by watching this video, you can see how affected her daughter still is by the whole incident. It's not an excuse, but I can see how difficult that must be for a mother. And to be completely fair, Piscitella's hardly the only person to blame here. Where were the authorities or school officials when she needed them? At least Piscitella is actually owning up to her mistakes!
If anything, the whole situation highlights how increasingly necessary it is for teachers, principals, school boards, and even state officials to start paying more attention to the well-being of their own students. Bullying isn't something to be taken lightly and the sooner everyone realizes that, the better off our kids will be.
Watch her talk about her actions here:
What do you think of the mom admitting her wrongdoing? Tell us in the comments below!
Image via ABC
