Q: Mr. Federal Way, what’s with all the youth violence and bullying problems in schools lately?

A: Mr. Federal Way finds the recent stories of bullying and youth violence pretty disheartening.

The biggest and worst incident of youth violence this year, obviously, was the murder of Wesley Gennings. That’s something Mr. Federal Way has already shared thoughts on.

Just this week, the Mirror reported on a three-year bullying case out of Thomas Jefferson High School. Another, lesser news organization reported on a planned beating at Todd Beamer. In March, the Mirror wrote about bullying at an elementary school.

Back when he was in elementary school, the only thing Mr. Federal Way was worried about was getting to the monkey bars first at recess. And maybe how one can fleece his classmates out of their chocolate milk at lunch when the only thing left was cartons of the regular stuff.

But students’ modern-day worries? Seeing a kid have to suffer through this kind of trauma while just trying to get an education and meet new friends is downright disgusting.

It’s even more deflating when you see both of this week’s reports mention that schools and the school district were notified multiple times and failed to correct the situation. That being said, there’s no telling how far the district actually did go in trying to ensure these girls’ safety.

There are over a thousand students to monitor at these schools and there’s only so many faculty members. To put all your attention on one would likely leave another vulnerable.

Mr. Federal Way understands that bullying has always been around and it’s unlikely to ever go away completely. Still, it seems more prevalent than ever, coinciding pretty well with the spread of social media.

Both the Beamer and Jefferson cases indicate that the bullying didn’t stop after the victim left school grounds. It’s permeated these kids’ lives at all turns.

Mr. Federal Way thinks that this mostly begins with the parents. If another parent or school staff comes to you saying that your child is bullying theirs, especially when they have proof, it’s time to step up and do something about it. It’s time to, you know, parent.

There are always commercials telling students to intervene when they see bullying or suggesting they tell school staff, but you never really see any telling parents to stop being lazy and get involved when their kids are acting up.

Maybe they are intervening and it’s just not working. It’s not something you ever really know when stories like this come out. All Mr. Federal Way knows is that a kid should never have to be in therapy over trauma from going to school.

It’s a bad outcome for everyone.

Q: Mr. Federal Way, you always talk about the Seahawks during football season. How about showing a little love for the Mariners?

A: When was the last time a Seattle baseball season felt this fun? I know some of you buzzkilling baseball detractors would say it never feels fun, but Mr. Federal Way would like to cordially invite you to crawl back into whatever joyless hole you came from.

It’s really nice for once to see the team not looking like a punching bag in June. There’s hope for Mariners fans right now.

Sure, there’s still a large contingent of fans that seem to be waiting for the collapse, probably just to say “I told you so.” Luckily, they’re less vocal these days. Coincidentally, Mr. Federal Way feels like there’s been less “SEA! HAWKS!” chants at Mariners games as of late (seriously, Mr. Federal Way loves the Hawks too, but give it a rest 12s. It’s May).

And sure, there’s still plenty of fans who will never again trust another closer after the up-and-down ride that was Fernando Rodney and the all-down ride that was Steve Cishek. But hey, who needs closers when you’re blasting walk-off home runs out of the park?

Mr. Federal Way is also a big fan of Dae-ho Lee. If you’re not a fan of Dae-ho, you’re no friend of Mr. Federal Way’s. In Mr. Federal Way’s opinion, we should all aspire to be more like Dae-ho.

Dae-ho then, Dae-ho now, Dae-ho forever.

Q: Mr. Federal Way, when is Mrs. Federal Way going to grace us with her presence again?

A: None of your business.

Got a question for Mr. Federal Way? Email your questions, complaints and hate mail to mrfederalway@federalwaymirror.com.