Got A Bully Problem?

Posted by Dawn

August 17, 2009

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Some kids get made fun of, it’s part of school (which doesn’t make it ‘okay’) and something that if dealt with early may be able to save your child a lot of grief down the road.

While the statistics are a shocker:

Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves.^[1]

There are many things you can do to develop healthy coping skills in your child. Sometimes, although unfortunately speaking with administration may not work. These are just some simple things you can say to a child to help them out.

It’s important to let your child know that sometimes people are just mean. That while your child may not have done anything to the bully, sometimes people are sad and make other people sad to feel better. Eventually it will get better (while this may not be something they want to hear).

Be understanding, for anyone who may have been made fun of themselves, it’s okay to relate these stories. However, be sure to pay full attention to your child’s body language, and make sure they get to talk about everything they wanted.

Be there when they want to talk, but try not to push the conversation until your child is ready. You can try to put in a movie that talks about bullying and use it as a way to get your foot in the door for the conversation.

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