I can sympathize with what these parents must be feeling. Not because I have raised a pre-teen, but because I can vividly remember that time in my life. Middle school is hard, ugly, and scary. I remember being bullied by girls that I idolized. I was fortunate to have a mother who was very caring and easy to talk to. She sympathized with me without making me feel like a small child who needed my parents to win my battles for me. She would say "That's awful, honey. Now, what are you going to do about it?"