This morning I am upset because of some jerk. This specific jerk is an 18 or 19 year old boy that I only know vaguely. As in, I know of him but don’t really know him. Until yesterday, I wasn’t even concerned about him.

And then he texted one of my kids.

It was a random text. He isn’t even in her contact list. With just a few choice words, he insulted my daughter.

My daughter doesn’t know him but she knows of him vaguely. He graduated from her high school last year — apparently he is a former high school jock who now has nothing better to do than to spread hateful words. She can’t even picture who he is or how he got her cell number.

After insulting her twice, he added insult to injury by ending his text with “thanks for being absolutely 0 help.” As if you would help someone who just insulted you.

It made me want to become Mama Bear, but what could I do? Replying would just be feeding the troll.

I could call the parents. I know them. But the kid is now an adult. What are his parents going to do? What am I going to say? I’m sorry but you raised a jerk.

In terms of cyberbullying, the comment didn’t threaten her. It was along the lines of “Aren’t you the fat one? And then later, “with all that fat, you’d think you’d know where the cookies are.” (The message was not about her being fat. None of my kids are fat.)

The message did target a notable body part — one she is probably a bit sensitive about.

I feel helpless and frustrated and want to find that boy and read him the riot act, but I know that is just feeding the troll. Plus, he isn’t worth it. I remember him as a rather pompous guy full of himself, and I suspect real life has started to interfere with his glory days persona. Poor guy.

I’d been worried lately about cyberbullying. One of my younger children has been leaving the child’s cell phone at home and isn’t glued to it every minute of every day. This is unusual. It made me wonder if the child was being cyberbullied. It is very unsettling. It used to be parents knew when a phone call came in for their children because it came to the family phone. Now, I have no idea how many calls or texts my children get (or what they say) unless my kids share it with me — or I happen to do a phone check before a pertinent message can be deleted.

I have no answers. Just feeling protective and sore for my children. Growing up is hard.