The heir apparent

I was a dramatic youth...sadly, I was usually on the bully side of most equations. Of course, when you run with the bullies, you do, eventually, get bullied yourself - mercilessly. So, I've lived that as well.
In my adult life, I've become brilliant. I know all the answers and let me assure you that DS1 does not want to hear any of them. I thought my parents were idiots as well...so turnabout and all that jazz.

My son is mess today...and he's handling it all wrong...and there is nothing I can apparently do about it. I'm sure I screwed up majorly already by making him talk when he didn't want to...but I worry. He said some things that concern me and now I'm trying to figure out the next steps. Can you legally put them in a barrel until age 18? Now, it's to protect him. Kids are mean and it hurts all the more when those mean kids were supposed to be your friend. I just don't want him (or any of my kids) to be the weak link.

Why can't kids see that if they don't let it bother them...it goes away? You are the only one who can choose how gossip and false crap affects you. If you go to their level, you lose too. Yes, all of that is what I tried to tell him...and none of it is what he wanted to hear. I tried to point out that finding just a few real friends would be so much better than a group of 'non-friends'...which he immediately took to mean that I didn't think he had any friends. Somehow, it all ended up being my fault.

I think this is what the next 8 years look like for us, right? I'm sad for him and worried...