We all want to think that our kids have a safe place at school to form healthy relationships that increase their mental well-being and self-confidence. Unfortunately, there are times when your child will spend some time dealing with bullies. What do you do when your...
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Sticks and Stones Aren’t the Only Harmful Methods Many adults can still recall the name of the “school bully” (or bullies) from childhood. Bullying is not a new challenge for children, but it should not be dismissed as simply “a part of growing up”. Bullying is a serious issue of abuse: it can be emotional, verbal, physical, or some combination of the three. In 2011, the Journal of Child Development discussed a study conducted at UCLA where it was determined that verbal abuse happens twice as often as physical abuse and “the students who were beat up and those who were called names were equally bothered.” Today, we have an additional form of bullying: cyber bullying, which takes bullying to a whole new level and can continue to harm children when they want to be in the safety of their own homes. How will you know if your child is being bullied?
My Child Won't Tell Me What's Going On Even if your child won’t talk with YOU about being bullied, the important thing is that he feels he has a safe place to go to talk about it. Know the 11 warning signs your child may be a victim of bullying. Whether it’s an aunt, uncle, grandparent, teacher, coach, family friend, or social worker, make sure your child feels safe talking to someone. If your child does tell you about the bullying, don’t assume that your child has done something to cause it. It may not make sense to you, but at this point it doesn’t matter why it’s happening, it just matters that it is indeed happening.