Let’s face it… kids are mean. Kids make fun of other kids. Kids pick on other kids. Kids bully other kids. Kids tease other kids. Kids are often mean to other kids. Let’s face it kids are kids, and even our own can be mean to other kids; even our little angels are sometimes little devils.
While schools do their best to mitigate bullying, it happens. It happens at school. It happens on the playground. It happens online. And if you don’t think it does, you’re just fooling yourself. The questions you need to ask yourself are, “Is my child the bully?” or “Is my child being bullied?” Unfortunately, sometimes the answer is both. Your angel is bullied, so your angel bullies others. Monkey see monkey do.
As a parent, you want your child to have friends, fit in, be included in activities, be treated with respect, and not be bullied. It happens though, so the best thing you can do is help your child deal with bullying by talking to them about it and making sure they understand what bullying is and how to prevent it.
What Is Bullying?
Just to be clear, bullying is “repeatedly” being mean to someone, intentionally excluding others from activities, and frequently hurting someone. Bullying can be done in person, phone calls, texts, emails, or online.
Bullying may include regularly teasing or making fun of someone, saying hurtful words to or about someone, or even telling lies or gossiping about someone. In extreme cases, bullying will include physical violence. Consistent incidents of hitting, kicking, punching, or other physical harms are telltale signs of bullying.
When it comes to online bullying, posting or sharing messages, videos, or pictures that embarrass or harm someone and their reputation is fairly common.
Who’s The Bully?
If you discover that your child is doing any of these activities, then they are the bully. See if you can find out why they are bullying others by discussing it with them. Usually, kids bully other kids due to a lack of self-respect, a lack of self-confidence, or a lack of acceptance.
Should you discover that these activities are occurring to your child, then they are the ones being bullied. Again, find out what’s going on by talking to your child. Make sure they understand that there are remedies to bullying and that they don’t have to just accept being bullied.
What Can Parents Do?
Parents can empower their child with the knowledge and courage to tackle bullying! First and foremost, the key is recognizing that bullying is happening and then talk to your child about it. When it comes to school, you can also talk to school authorities and learn about their bullying policies and procedures for remedy.
While bullying is a part of growing up, the effects of it can be minimized when you take the time to educate your child about bullying and how to deal with it. Rather than just letting it simmer under the surface let’s face it, sometimes our angels are just mean and realizing it will help reduce or eliminate the behavior.
To learn more about bullying and see how Nuff deals with it, check out his latest adventure titled Bullying Isn’t Nice. Join him as he finds out the pros and cons of being on both sides of the bullying spectrum and why making friends is better.
