A child who is often being bullied feels powerless and alone. Studies have shown that more girls than boys are bullies, and that children who are victims of bullying don’t usually want their parents to intervene. In most cases, it is best for the child to try to handle the situation on his own. If he is unsuccessful, then one of his parents can step in and help him resolve the issue.
Bullying is unfortunately something that a lot of children have to face. But whether you as a parent do anything about it will depend on the age of the child and how severe the bullying is. However, since bullying is something that can happen even into adulthood, it’s important to equip your child with the necessary tools to handle bullies. This way, they can be better equipped to deal with bullies even when you’re not around.
As a parent, you want your child to be confident and have good conflict resolution skills. Bullying can damage the self-esteem of the victim, so it is important for your child to understand that the root of the problem lies with the bully, not with him.
It’s important to let your child know that you love and support them no matter what. Showing them that you’re proud of them will help reassure and boost their confidence. Offer a listening ear, so they feel comfortable talking to you about their bottled-up emotions related to the situation. You should also talk to your child about how you feel and let them know that you’re there for them. Doing all of this will help make it clear to your child that you support them through thick and thin.
A lot of the time, bullies single out other kids to tease because they want to get a reaction out of them – whether that be anger or crying. It’s important to teach your child not to take the bait and to keep their cool in these situations. This way, the bully won’t get what they’re looking for and will eventually stop bothering your child.
Depending on the severity of the bullying, one way to handle the situation may be to try and avoid the bully. If there are ways to do this, such as by taking another route to class, it may be worth it to do so. However, in some cases it may not be possible to avoid confrontation altogether. If this is the case, try and stay calm and stand up for yourself confidently.
You can teach your child to try and talk to the bully, but more often than not, talking doesn’t do much to stop the bullying. If your child is being constantly bullied by someone who just won’t stop, it’s okay for him to stand up for himself.
Bullies often target children who they think are easy to control. They might try to make their victim feel worthless or scared, in an attempt to get them to do what the bully wants. It’s important to teach your kids that sometimes the best response to a bully is to walk away. However, there are also times when the bully won’t stop, and in those cases, it’s okay for your child not to back down.
If your child has tried and failed to resolve the conflict on their own, it’s time to involve some adults. They should start by talking to their teacher, and if that doesn’t help they can go to the guidance counselor or the principal. If none of those adults will take action to stop the bullying, the next step is to go to the school superintendent.
