Tips For Handling Your Child Being Bullied
When your child comes home and tells you that
someone is being unkind to them at school, it can be heartbreaking. Thinking about your kid getting bullied is
enough to make you want to sue the school and the other
parents. However, before you jump to
taking action, it’s essential to take the proper steps to determine the best
plan.
Failing to have all of the information and
tools may cause more damage than resolution.
Therefore, take a look at some of the most important tips for handling
your child being bullied at school.
Determine
The Severity
The first step is to determine what the facts
are. Listen to your son or daughter and
determine what was said or done. Rather
than jumping to conclusions, gather all of the information and decide whether
you need to talk to the school or directly with the other parents.
In some cases, you may have to talk to both the school and the other parent in
order to work together to find the best solution.
Listen
To Your Child
When your child speaks, give them your full attention. Don’t interrupt, even if you have something
to say. It’s imperative that they feel
heard and understood.
If you interrupt them, you may fail to hear critical parts of the
story and may potentially scare them away from revealing more details. Tough love is the last thing that a child in
distress needs. If a child is being
bullied, they need compassion and a shoulder to lean on.
Don’t
Strike Back
It’s easy to take it personally and make it
about you, but it’s not. Even though you
may feel emotional and like you want to go and give the bully a piece of your
mind, it’s important not to take matters into your own hands.
It’s vital that you try as hard as possible to
focus on being as objective as possible, even though you’re clearly on your
child’s side. Try to stay calm and
remember that two wrongs don’t make a right.
Your child will benefit most from you being supportive, not vindictive.
Teach
Your Child How To React
It’s helpful if you give your child some
coaching on the best ways to react to bullies. Old school tactics like “hit the kid back who
hit you” isn’t the best advice. Bullying
that’s met with more intimidation will only perpetuate the problem.
It’s best if your child tries tactics to
disarm the bully by ignoring them, or telling an adult at school about the
problem. Encourage them to have more
confidence in themselves, even though it may be difficult with someone
attempting to tear down their self-worth.
With enough support and coaching, you can make
it through this difficult time together.
