The boy was bullied to the point where taking his life was his only option.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses bullying and death by suicide that may be disturbing to readers
Drayke Hardman first came home from his school with a black eye. A few days later, the 12-year-old boy from Utah skipped basketball practice. Last week, Drayke died by suicide, per 9News.
Now, the family who lost their precious child is speaking out about bullying and is trying to raise awareness through their movement #DoItForDrayke, per ABC4. The loss has shattered the family and they want to do what they can to make sure no other parent has to go through this.
“Drayke’s personality was all about people. He loved to make people laugh. He loved to do what he could to always make sure that somebody had a friend,” said Samie Hardman, Drayke’s mother. The boy had a heart of gold and always made sure to be kind to everyone around him, so they had no idea that he was being bullied at school.
Drayke Hardman's family are now speaking out to raise awareness about bullying in schools, and the devastating impact it can have on children. #9News https://t.co/5JYaYZoBuN
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) February 15, 2022
The family said that stopping bullying comes from within the home.
“Deep down there’s something broken that this child took from my son, and it has to come from somewhere because like Samie said, children aren’t naturally angry,” said Andrew Hardman, Drayke’s father.
“So for him to have to attack my son to build his confidence means he was lacking something. So, in a sense, this bully was also a victim, and that’s where we need to find the solution is teaching our children that the world is broken, but they’re the generation that is going to fix it.”
The family is now encouraging parents to talk to their kids about how to be kind to others so they can learn to be better humans.
“It’s learned. It’s a conversation not only do we as parents need to sit down and have with our kids, but it’s conversations we need to have with ourselves – who are we as people and what are we unknowingly teaching our kids,” Samie said. “….I’m angry and I’m hurt and I’m broken and yet part of me just wants this bully to find peace. To be fixed. To not have any other kids fall.”
12 year old Drayke Hardman died last week from suicide after extensive bullying and i’m yet to see anyone on Twitter even acknowledge it.
— RikkiBesti (@RikkiBesti1809) February 16, 2022
Because of bullying this 12 year old kid won’t get the chance to live life, a gift that was taken away from him.
Rt this#DoitforDrayke pic.twitter.com/IMWXMucPZn
Nathan Watkins, the Program Director of Wasatch Family Therapy, spoke about the psychology of bullying.
“The bully is only projecting their fears onto the others around them. And that may be true oftentimes, children develop mentally, depending on the age, and are looking to be successful amongst their peers. And so that success may come in the form of them looking to best someone else in some way, shape or form and if they don’t feel like they can do that, they might look to do that in other ways.”
He also stressed the importance of talking to children about bullying early on, stating, “Parents should start as early as kids spending time with other peers, other friends. Especially, maybe every time when they get ready to start the new school year, talking about how we can express kindness.”
The Drayke Hardman story is truly heartbreaking 💔 , he took his own life as a result of bullying. Schools need to do a better job of handling these situations because too many people are taking their own lives do to bullying. Praying for his family 🙏
— 🌹Dallas Amiker 🎷🏆🌹 (@DallasAmiker) February 12, 2022
A GoFundMe has been set up for the grieving family to give the little one a proper farewell.
References:
https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/parents-whose-son-died-by-suicide-speak-out-against-bullying/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/draykes-funeral-expenses-for-samie-jo
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
