How to Help Your Child Deal with Being Bullied at School --- Parent Tips

How to deal with bullying in your child's classroom or school is a question many parents will be facing. In recent years, there has been an increase in bullying as well as an increase in the awareness of bullying. Being bullied at school has received a lot of attention in the press. Bullying creates unnecessary turmoil in the school environment.

Bullying is not gender sensitive --- boys and girls both can be involved in bullying. Although today teachers have become more pro-active in dealing with bullying, it continues to exist. The best bullying intervention to utilize is to prepare your child to deal with the situation should it ever occur. Below are parent tips for bullying intervention to use.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   Childere Should Report Bullying Incidents to Their Teacher Immediately

   Before it ever occurs, be pro-active and encourage your child to talk to their teacher if they are ever bullied at school. Then if it ever occurs, your child will feel confident in reporting the problem of bullying to his/her teacher. Your child should always report any problems to a nearby adult. Bullying can occur in the restroom, the hallway, the playground, or the cafeteria. Tattling is discouraged but children have to be able to make a clear distinction between tattling and reporting being bullied at school.

2. 
    
   Confident Kids

   Instill confidence in your child and teach your child to stand up for self. By no means should your child become aggressive. It is best to walk away. Talk to your child and prepare him/her to deal with a bully in this way. Bullies get their satisfaction from intimidating others and they feed on the confrontations.

3. 
    
   Speak Up & Report Problems

   Teach your child to speak up for self and report any problem to a nearby adult --- preferably your child’s teacher. This is not needless tattling when reporting a bullying situation. Children need to learn the difference between tattling and reporting being bullied at school.

4. 
    
   Encourage Child to Talk

   Encourage your child to discuss with you any situation at school that has made him/her uncomfortable or uneasy in any way. Establish this freedom to discuss any situation with you.

5. 
    
   Knowing ALL the Details of a Bullying Incident are Important

   Know the details of the situation of the bullying incidents. Who is involved in the bullying? Where and when does the bullying occur? What is the type of bullying that is occurring. This is a difficult one but we must be sure to consider, “Could my child be involved in the bullying?”

6. 
    
   Conference to Discuss Bullying

   Once you have the facts of your child being bullied at school, make an appointment to discuss the situation with your child’s teacher. The teacher may not be aware that your child is being bullied at school. Once the teacher is aware of the situation, the bullying situation should improve.

7. If necessary, consult with the school principal concerning your child being bullied at school if the situation has not been resolved. As a last resort if the situation is bad enough, changing your child’s classroom or even the school may be possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Keeping communication open with your child is the best bullying intervention to stay on top of the situation. Always be alert to the signs and symptoms of bullying.
• You must always consider if your child could be involved in bullying.

Resources

• Focus on the Family
• How to Stop Bullying
• Keep Kids Healthy --- Bullies
• eHow --- How to Know if Your Child Is Being Bullied at School --- Parent Tips
• Sandy1020's Blog
• Kid's Health --- Helping Kids Deal with Bullies
• Associated Content --- Helping Your Child Deal with Bullies at School
• Hurt by Chap Clark

[davida8575]

on 9/22/2009 Good article on bullies. I deal with bullies once in a while at work. I am a Security guard.

[jujudy]

on 9/21/2009 Children should always be encouraged to talk about their feelings and explore situations by thinking them through. I agree with the comment that states that bullies get pleasure from intimidating others. This is so true. Ignoring a bully is the best way to fight back. 5*s

[jenng]

on 9/21/2009 Great article on How to Help Your Child Deal with Being Bullied at School 5*

[bellerose]

on 8/19/2009 Bully awareness is very important. Make bullying something that the bully is ostracized for. Teachers in my grade school did that and it worked pretty well. 5*

[smile-up]

on 8/18/2009 Tip number 4, "encourage your child to discuss with you any situation at school" is a good one. Kids often don't say more than two or three words about their entire day, but it is worth it to at least try to get them talking. Thanks.