School bully mocks boy for hugging his grandma — she chose to respond with love instead

Kids who grow up around their grandparents and share a strong bond with them are some of the luckiest individuals out there. Getting a hug or sharing wonderful moments with grandparents can create core memories for children. So, u/RumBunBun took to the Reddit community to share the story of her 14-year-old grandson, Sam, and explain why some bullies need a hug from a grandma. The grandmother and her grandson have been close, enjoying several weekend trips and vacations together. However, Sam became withdrawn and distant after his parents divorced.

Sam's grandma eventually discovered he loved hearing stories about the hilarious things he had said or done as a child. "He would sit and listen and be engaged with me for at least a while. I’ve tried hard to keep a connection without being pushy," the grandma wrote in her Reddit post. "He’s been playing sports for years and we make it to at least a game or two per sport each season to see him play. He’d come and hug me after each game. My stepdaughter, his mom, told me that she was amazed he would hug me in public. I was the only person he'd hug at his games, including her," she added. Sam's grandma was very proud of this, but it all came to a bitter halt one summer after his sports session.

When Sam's grandparents showed up at one of his summer games, he was happy to see them. "After the game, as he hugged me, I heard a nearby voice saying, 'Look, everyone! Isn’t that sweet? Sam’s hugging his Grandma!' I felt Sam tense up, and he immediately ended the hug. I was not going to let that person ruin those special hugs, so I turned to the kid who’d taunted Sam, grabbed him in a bear hug, and exclaimed, 'Oh, are you jealous? You must need a Grandma hug, too!'" the woman continued. Jake, the kid who taunted Sam, stood still in complete astonishment. Other kids started jokingly calling the bully out, telling him to get his "own grandma."

"He turned beet red and ran off. We heard through my stepdaughter that Jake was kind of a jerk who always found reasons to pick on his teammates and Sam and his friends thought what I did to him was hilarious. So far, Sam still gives me hugs. Grandma hugs for the win," the post concluded.

Fellow Reddit users also dropped in to share their sweet stories with their grandparents and praised Sam's grandma for doing what she did. u/someone447 shared, "When I was a kid, I was the only white kid on my football team and one kid hated me for that. He had a terrible home life and his parents never went to any games. He eventually moved in with his grandma and she started coming to all of his games. He went from being a horrible bully to one of the friendliest people I knew. Some bullies just need a grandma hug." 

u/Chaosmusic wrote, "Grandma relationships are special. My nephew is pretty quiet and says the bare minimum in most cases. But when he's talking to Grandma he becomes a talking machine." u/Brandykat quipped, "I wish I had grown up near my grandparents. We lived overseas from them and I only saw them maybe 3 or 4 times before they passed. I don’t remember getting a grandma hug. Your grandson is lucky." u/slumber_kitty added, "You are the best grandma! My grandma was similar, always down to put someone on the spot and call them out but never in a cruel way. She was bold. A small but fierce woman, always had her hair and makeup done, always doused herself in Red Door perfume, and always had a Marlboro Red hanging out of her brightly lipsticked mouth. And she always loved us."