Bullies come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Whether as children or adults, most of us will have to deal with a bully or two at some point in our lives. Bullying is a problem for people in the job, at home, in the military, hospitals, and even in nursing homes. Bullies must be dealt with carefully, and the cycle of bullying must be broken.
Bullying can take various forms: physical (pushing, punching, or hitting), verbal (calling names or making threats), or psychological and emotional (spreading rumors or excluding someone from a conversation or activity). Furthermore, because of the widespread use of social media, inappropriate behavior between children can occur outside of school hours via emails, text messages, and Facebook posts. These conversations, known as cyberbullying, can be very nasty and violent. Their negative consequences are frequently carried over to the next day at school.
How to Deal with Bullies
Identifying Bullying
Knowing when your child is a victim is the first step in dealing with bullies. Physical complaints such as tummy aches, worries, and fears, a youngster refusing to go to school, or when a person begins to isolate themselves and avoid social interactions are all common bullying indicators. Pose inquiries and encourage your children to discuss their social situations.
Know which of their buddies they get along with and which they don’t. Establishing excellent communication should begin well before the children are experiencing bullying issues. For younger children, keep it generic, but if you suspect a problem or if your child has expressed a problem, press for additional information.
Confident Body Language
Bullying is less likely to impact your child’s self-esteem if he feels good about himself. Encourage your child to participate in hobbies, extracurricular activities, and social circumstances that will bring out the best in him or her.
This will push her to hold her head up, giving her a more confident appearance. Also, practice making sad, courageous, and joyful expressions and remind her that she should switch to a “brave” face if she’s being troubled. When confronted with a bully, your appearance and expression are more essential than what you say.
Tell your child what you admire in him and encourage him to do more positive behaviors you want to see. When children’s good behaviors are rewarded, they pay more attention. Honoring your children’s strengths and promoting healthy relationships with others can improve self-esteem, build long-term confidence, and prevent bullying.
The Right Reaction to Bullying
Bullies have a craving for power and control over others, as well as a desire to hurt others, which children must comprehend. Self-control, empathy, and sensitivity are frequently lacking in them. Allowing a bully to make you feel awful is not a good idea. When someone says anything negative about you, tell yourself something nice. Remind yourself of your good qualities. Tears should not be used to reward the aggressor. The bully wants to damage your feelings, so it appears that his taunts and name-calling aren’t bothering you. You can do this by acknowledging the bully’s point of view. When the bully calls you “fatty,” calmly responds, “You know, I need to start getting more exercise.” Then confidently walk away.
Follow your intuition and use your best judgment. If the bully wants your homework and you think he’s ready to hurt you, hand it over and confidently walk away. Then go to an adult and tell them what occurred.
Don’t expect to be treated badly. When approaching a gathering of children, imagine how wonderful they are to you and do your best to be friendly. Above all, treat others as you would like to be treated. Speak up for other bullied students and ask them to do the same for you.
Promote Actions to Stop Bullying
In the end, it is up to parents to assist a young child in dealing with a bully. Help him learn to make good decisions and act when he is injured or sees another child being bullied, and be prepared to intervene if necessary. Severe bullying should be reported.
If your child is hesitant to report the bullying, accompany him to a teacher, guidance counselor, principal, or school administrator to discuss the situation. Learn about the school’s bullying policy, document and retain records of bullying occurrences, and remain on top of the matter by checking in with the school to see what steps are being taken. When necessary, seek aid from someone outside of school, such as a family therapist or a police officer, and use community resources to deal with and prevent bullying.
Encourage your child to be a good person. It’s 10 times more powerful than anything we’ll ever be able to do as adults when children speak up against bullies. When a youngster observes a buddy or another student being bullied and stands up for them, she/he becomes an upstander (rather than a passive bystander). Talk about your child’s feelings about someone standing up for her, and discuss how one person can make a difference.
Also Read, 10 Social issues that Teen faces in the Modern World
Proper Communication
Every day, check in with your children to see how things are doing at school. Create a caring environment with a calm, welcoming tone, so he isn’t frightened to inform you if something is wrong. Remind him that his safety and well-being are paramount and that he should always seek help from an adult if he has any concerns. You can’t expect the school staff to be up to date on everything. Make them aware of any potential problems. Even though more schools are implementing bullying prevention programs, many still lack the necessary resources and assistance. Parents and teachers must be aware of the situation and become involved to properly monitor it.
Coping Mechanisms
When your child is being bullied, tell them that it isn’t her fault, that she isn’t alone, and that you are there to support her. Parents should talk about their sentiments because kids must understand their feelings to convey what’s going on. Parents should not assume that this is normal peer behavior that will resolve itself regardless of their child’s age.
It should never be tolerated when a youngster is taunted or picked on. Helping your child deal with a bully will boost his or her self-esteem and prevent a potentially dangerous scenario from worsening.
Bullying is a disease that plagues both the victim and the bully. Although bullying can never be justified, it is most important to remember that bullies act that way either because of narcissistic tendencies or because they have family traumas or dysfunctional families. Either way, always remember to stand your ground and be brave!
