How to Deal with a School Bully

If your child has become the latest victim of a school bully, the verbal, mental and physical torment may make going to school unbearable. Give your child the tools to deal with a school bully and seek assistance to keep the bullying from escalating.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Discuss ways to spot and deal with a school bully before your child becomes a bully’s target. If your child doesn’t communicate with you when the bullying is in the early, taunting stages, the bully may take his bullying to the Internet or escalate it to physical attacks.

2. Help your child establish a core group of trusted friends to help deal with a school bully. Although most bullies like to pick on other children with an audience present, even a single good friend can come to your child’s aide to help diffuse the situation. Bullies also tend to pick on kids viewed as “outcasts” or “loners.”

3. Boost your child’s self esteem, instilling confidence and the ability to ignore or stand up to school bullies when excessively provoked. When teaching your child to deal with a school bully, however, be sure to warn him not to resort to tactics that will turn him into a bully, too.

4. Handle the situation privately with your child’s teacher, principal or guidance counselor to devise a way to deal with the school bully. Be sure to have specific information including the dates, witnesses and the nature of the bullying so they won’t be able to dismiss the bullying as an insignificant, one-time incident.

5. Work with the school’s PTA to develop an anti-bullying program to help everyone deal with a school bully. Consider a reward program that honors children who find productive ways to stop bullying, a poster program to make students aware of the signs of bullying or even a hotline that allows children to anonymously report acts of school bullying.

Tips & Warnings

• Find a counselor for your child to talk to if he’s becoming depressed, withdrawn or unwilling to go to school because of the bullying. Although you may think you’re helping him deal with a school bully, your child may just be masking his feelings out of fear that you’ll escalate the situation.

[cosmopinkice]

on 2/13/2009 My best friend told me that a bully was more likely to have problems later in life than the kids being bullied... there has to be problems in their life to want that much control. I hope they get help and the children who are bullied too. Great article and advice 5*

[cosmopinkice]

on 2/13/2009 My best friend told me that a bully was more likely to have problems later in life than the kids being bullied... there has to be problems in their life to want that much control. I hope they get help and the children who are bullied too. Great article and advice 5*

[elyria]

on 2/13/2009 It is unfortunate that some children have to go through this. Great topic to write about! Thank you for sharing! 5*

[cadence]

on 2/13/2009 Great tips. It's not fun to be bullied at school, and it's important to help your child avoid / not be upset by bullying.