Talking to Your Children About Bullying
Worried About A Child Being Bullied
Itis not unusual for children to find it difficult to talk about being bullied, asthey may feel embarrassed or scared of what may happen if they speak up. Asparents you may see your child saying that they do not about feel well more thanusual, avoid social interactions, behave in an anxious manner about going toschool or spot unexplained bruises. If you decide to ask your child whetherthey are being bullied, don’t be surprised if they are not honest about what ishappening to them. For this reason, you need to think about the best way ofspeaking to your child. If you feel thatyour child is not ready to talk to you, you need to reassure them by lettingthem know that you will be there for them regardless of anything. You also needto let your child see that you will not do anything without discussing it withthem first. By doing this, you will help your child to feel confident that theycan confide in you.
Advising Your Children
Asa parent it’s easy to tell your child to fight back. It is normal to feel angryabout the fact that your child has been subjected to bullying. It may even bethat you don’t want your child to continue to be bullied, so you tell them tostand up for themselves. However it is important not to tell your children todeal with bullying with violence. This situation could end up getting worse andresult in somebody getting hurt. The best advice that you can give your childis:
Speak to an adult
Parentsand school staff can all do something to stop bullying. By speaking up you can addressand overcome the situation.
Open up about it
Talkabout what is happening, with something that you trust, such as a friend,sibling or a teacher. By talking to somebody, you may find a solution to thisissue and stop you feeling alone.
Be brave and ignore
Befirm with a bully and walk away from them. Try and ignore anything that theysay that is hurtful. If you ignore theperson that is bullying you, you’ll show them that you do not care what theyare doing and this should make them bored of trying to bully you.
Don’t get angry
A bully wants you to get angry and it is perfectly normal to feel angry. However it is best to try not to show your anger to them, as this will make your bully feel powerful. Don’t react to the bully or show them how you feel. You could try using cool down method such as taking deep breaths, counting down from 10 or writing down anything that makes you feel angry. Ideally you need to teach your child to not give away any emotions in their face and to avoid laughing, smirking or smiling which may just fuel the bully.
