Bullying: What to do if Your Child is Being Bullied

It can be hard to tell when your child is being bullied, but it’s important that you know. Bullying can have a huge impact on your child’s life and well-being, and the earlier you start intervening, the better. If bullying becomes serious enough for parents to consider legal action, they may need an attorney who specializes in bullying cases. This blog will outline some of the signs of bullying so you could recognize them before things escalate too far.

Bullying is an issue for children of all ages. There are many different types of bullying: physical (hitting, kicking), verbal (name-calling, rumour spreading), social exclusion or isolation (making fun of someone because they’re overweight or denying them access to lunchroom conversations).

Cyberbullying : the new form of bullying

• A study in 2013 found that 54% of adolescents had been victims of cyberbullying.
• Cyberbullies often feel motivation by revenge or a need to feel powerful.
• The most common way for kids to experience bullying is through social media, whereas adults usually face bullying at work.

Cyberbullying is any bullying that occurs through a computer or cell phone. It includes spreading rumours on social media, creating fake accounts to impersonate someone else, sending hateful messages and pictures (either by text or email), and constantly following another person online. Kids who feel like they have no control over their lives can use bullying as an outlet for anger.

Recognize the signs of bullying

Bullying is often preceded by a “bully period” where the victim feels anxious, embarrassed or scared. Other warning signs include low self-esteem and changes in sleeping habits.

Victims of bullying may also show physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches. They might withdraw from activities that were once enjoyable, become antisocial at school or stop hanging out with friends.

Bullying may be more obvious in some children, especially those who are overweight or have disabilities. Watch for signs of depression: sudden changes in weight; difficulty sleeping; loss of interest in usual pleasures (socializing, hobbies)

Other possible warning signs: self-injury (cutting), drug use, sexual acting out behaviors.

Why do people bully?

• People bully to feel better about themselves.
• They may be bullying because they are victims of bullying themselves.
• For other reasons, such as getting the “rush”, that comes from seeing someone else’s pain.
• Bullying is a way for people to find release from their life problems.

Address the issue

If your child is being bullied, you should address the issue immediately. There are many things parents do wrong when they discover the bullying of their children by other kids at school or on social media platforms online.

The first thing a lot of parents think to do is take away all electronics from their son or daughter until he/she stops getting picked on. This will make matters worse because now the kid won’t have any friends outside of those bullies in class! Think about how awful it would feel not talking with your friends on social media, and you’ll see why that would make the bullying worse.

The next common response is to tell the child to “ignore it” because if they don’t give them attention, bullies will stop. This won’t always work out because ignoring what’s happening does nothing about the issue.

What parents should do:

-Talk to the child about coming up with a plan together and ask if he or she has any ideas on how to make the bullying stop. This will give them confidence in their ability, which is what bullies are trying to take from them in the first place! Bullies want people they can control, so don’t let that happen.

-Call your child’s teacher and tell what’s happening – it might be helpful for both of you to come up with strategies together.

-Find out who the bully is (if possible) by asking your son or daughter questions like “when does this happen? “Who do you see when it happens?” etc., then confront the other kid in person.

-If the bullying continues, call your school’s principal and ask what they can do to help stop it from happening again.

-Find a support group for other parents who are going through this as well; you’ll be in awe how many people have gone through that and it will help you to figure out what actions to take next!

-Teach your kid how to stand up for themselves by telling bullies “no” or walking away and saying “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” This is difficult because kids may not be able to say “no” right away but, with practice, they will feel more confident in their ability.

What children should do:

-Report bullying to a trusted adult.

-Keep evidence of the bullying, like scratches or injuries from any encounters with the bullies. This may be helpful for your school’s principal in filing an official police report and showing that your child is not lying about what happened.

-Ignore bullies when they talk to them – this will make it more difficult for the bully to continue picking on them! However, it is still important to inform a trusted adult about it.

How bullying affects your child

Older elementary school children are more likely to understand why they’re targeted by bullies, but because they don’t have enough life experience yet, they will still react in ways that make them feel bad – whether those reactions involve lashing back verbally or not wanting to go to school.

Younger elementary school children are more likely to show signs of bullying by acting out in class or at home with aggression and anger or having a hard time concentrating on their work (Kunkel). Parents need to be aware that bullying is happening because it can lead kids down the wrong path when they don’t have adult guidance.

• bullying can disrupt your child’s schoolwork and social life
• it may seem like just a little teasing now, but make sure to ask them about their day at home or with friends to find out if someone bullies them
• children, who have been the victim of bullying. often feel isolated and alienated from peers
• It affects their mental health and can lead to depression, self-injury, and other mental health issues
• It follows them into adulthood  and can result in poor self-esteem

Understand when to seek professional help

If the bullying has been going on for more than a month, it may be time to consider seeking professional help. Bullying can have an impact on children’s self-esteem and school performance – even long after they’ve left their abuser.

It’s important that you don’t let bullying go unchecked, as this could turn into something much worse later down the line. Speak with your doctor or get in touch with professionals, which provide advice and support for parents dealing with abusive situations involving children.

What can schools do about bullying?

Schools can also provide help and support for bullied children. It is important they don’t tolerate bullying behavior and take the right action to stop it from happening again. Schools should have a clear anti-bullying policy that outlines what constitutes bullying and how schools will deal with it. This will ensure that bullies know the serious repercussions if they continue their actions.

Schools can also do interventions on a schoolwide, classroom or individual level. This may include one-on-one support with teachers for students being bullied as well as counselling and therapy sessions. Children should have access to learning materials that explore bullying behavior in more depth; so they can recognise any signs of bullying.

Staff can be trained to identify bullying behavior. Also, they learn to deal with it if a child tells them about an abusive situation.

Schools may work in tandem with other organisations. For example, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), can help parents identify bullying and what sort of support is available locally.

Bullying is not easy to notice,

But it can be very harmful if you don’t. When you suspect that your child is being bullied or if you witness any aggressive behavior, please contact the school counselor right away and discuss what to do. You may also want to consider seeking help outside of school if the bullying persists. Regardless of what form a bully takes, whether on social media sites like Facebook or in person at school, we must do all we can to ensure our children feel safe and comfortable while growing up.