A prominent Hungarian humorist, István Dombóvári, who also serves as director of the cultural center in his hometown of Jászkarajenő, has spoken publicly about navigating childhood challenges with his sons. The discussion highlights the increasing focus on proactive parenting and addressing bullying, even at a young age.
Dombóvári, who shares two sons – István, born in 2021, and Lajos, born in the summer of 2023 – with his wife, Lilla, detailed a situation involving his older son in a recent appearance on Gergő Szobácsi’s podcast. He explained that the experience prompted him to actively equip his son with the skills to stand up for himself.
“We had a second child because we thought it would be like the first, and there wouldn’t be a third. Everything went smoothly with the first one, even though we were beginners. But then we threw all our experience out the window because the little one is a completely different person. no pattern can be applied to him,” Dombóvári shared. This underscores the complexities of parenting and the demand to adapt strategies to each child’s unique personality.
The humorist recounted that his older son was being targeted by another child at preschool. After seeking assistance, Dombóvári took a more direct approach. “I trained him on how to defend himself, how to restore order. If there’s no other way, if he gets pushed, he should push back. Don’t initiate, just defend yourself!” he explained in an interview with Story magazine, as reported on February 27, 2026.
A parent’s most important task is to pay attention to their child, and if something is wrong, if their behavior changes – for example, if they don’t want to go to preschool – to notice it and talk to them. It’s also important to believe what the child says.
Dombóvári and his wife noticed their son’s reluctance to attend preschool stemmed from what he described as “minor atrocities” committed by another child. “Kids will be kids, and there’s always a struggle over who gets the dump truck, but this was more than that,” he said. “We weren’t angry at anyone – neither the other child nor the teacher, who is responsible for so many children. But we went in to talk to him and the principal. We spoke calmly with the other boy’s parents, everyone was kind, and cooperative. We thought the problem would be solved, but it wasn’t. So, I pulled out Plan C. Which wasn’t to remove him from the community.”
He described a family approach that, while not inherently aggressive, emphasizes self-defense. “We’ve never been attackers, but we’ve always defended ourselves when necessary,” he added.
I taught him how to defend himself, how to restore order. If there’s no other way, then if he gets pushed, he should push back. Don’t initiate, just defend yourself! He stood up for himself, defended himself, and now he’s the little village Batman. In fact, he’s a bit of a knight too, because he stands up for girls who are being harassed. He’s earned his place, he’s taken back control, so now the kids in the Squirrel Group report to him. It’s important, yet, that he never attacks, and instead tries to talk things out.
Dombóvári’s experience reflects a growing trend among parents to proactively address social challenges and empower their children with self-advocacy skills. His commitment to fostering a supportive environment extends to his role as director of the Jászkarajenő cultural center, where he aims to bring quality arts programming to the tiny community, as detailed in a 2025 report from szol24.hu.
