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His dad owned a sign company and taught
seventh-grade boys at church. His mother was a
fi nancial counselor for the local hospital. Terry and
his sister, Debra, were at church with their parents
every Sunday and Wednesday.
Every evening after dinner, the family gathered
for devotions and prayer.
Even school had been fun.
Until the day he climbed o• the school bus and
was met by three brothers who, he thought, wanted
to play.
Instead, they'd knocked him to the ground and
beat him.
His parents had been shocked by his bloody face.
"Son," they said, "don't fi ght back. If somebody
wants to pick a fi ght, just walk away. They'll leave
you alone. They won't bother you."
It was good advice. Except that it didn't work.
Day after day, Terry had tried walking away. And
each day he went home with a bloody face. Still, his
parents gave him the same advice.
When Terry felt too traumatized to concentrate,
his grades plummeted. Even then, his parents gave
him the same advice.
Soon, word got around that he was a coward.
"Hey," the boys taunted, "there's that sissy,
Terry!"
By the time he was 12 years old, Terry had
become angry and bitter. Not just at the bullies. He
was angry with his parents.
He'd been raised to obey them—to honor their
counsel. But after years of being beaten by bullies,
he'd lost faith in their advice. They were wrong.
What else had they told him that wasn't true?
Fighting Back
"Those were tough times for me," Terry recalls.
"I was hurt and humiliated. I learned to fi ght back
with my mouth. I wanted people to stay away from
me, so I cursed and said mean things to them. It
didn't leave me many friends.
by Melanie Hemry
The
Heart of
a Matter
Terry Cox slipped out of his chair at the breakfast table and
hugged his mother. Walking toward the school bus, he waved
goodbye. Life in small town Griffi n, Ga., was idyllic.
Terry adored his parents.
