“We try to teach kindness in our family, and not seeing any kindness from students in his class was appalling to me,” the mother said.
Everyone loves Paul Rudd, but it looks like he is a fan of a 12-year-old boy from Colorado.
When the 53-year-old star learned that Brody Ridder, a seventh-grader, had been bullied at school and that kids had refused to sign his yearbook, he got in touch with the boy. Rudd sent the boy a letter, along with a signed Ant-Man helmet. Not only that, but he also FaceTimed Ridder and exchanged text messages with him.
Images of both the helmet and the letter were shared on Facebook by the boy's mother, Cassandra, News10 reported.
"It's important to remember that even when life is tough that things get better. There are so many people that love you and think you're the coolest kid there is — me being one of them! I can't wait to see all the amazing things you're going to accomplish," Rudd wrote in the letter he sent the boy.
Cassandra wrote about the yearbook incident for the first time after she picked up her son, who was beyond upset, from school in late May. "My poor son. Doesn't seem like it's getting any better. 2 teachers and a total of 2 students wrote in his yearbook despite Brody asking all kinds of kids to sign it," Cassandra wrote, and included a picture of the near-empty autograph pages.
Later, Cassandra also told Washington Post that her son was being bullied. "There's kids that have pushed him and called him names," she said. "Brody has been through a lot."
“We try to teach kindness in our family, and not seeing any kindness from students in his class was appalling to me,” the mother said.
But when Cassandra's post on social media went viral, a bunch of older kids rallied together and decided to sign Ridder's yearbook. Eventually, he had over a hundred people signing his yearbook and he was elated.
The students’ kindness didn't go unnoticed by school administrators, who said the transition back to in-person classes from remote learning has resulted in more conflicts and bullying.
“A lot of students are struggling with peer relationships and social skills,” said Brent Reckman, chief executive at the Academy of Charter Schools. “It’s up to us to figure out how to help kids and families with it, but it’s a challenge faced by all schools right now.”
“It can be really tough to be a teenager,” he continued. “I was really impressed with how our students stepped up when they saw a peer in need.”
Cassandra too is happy with everything positive that her post has resulted in. “It made me feel like there’s still hope,” she said. “Not just for Brody, but for humanity.”
References:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10226913970971241&set=pcb.10226913976971391
https://www.news10.com/news/paul-rudd-reacts-after-kids-wouldnt-sign-boys-yearbook/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/06/02/yearbook-bully-kindness-cassandra-ridder/?
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld
