1. Increase Communication
Begin discussion that has to do with the social and online lives of you children as often as possible. Ask specific questions that can create important discussions (e.g., instead of “How was school?,” try “What was lunchtime like at your school—who do you sit with, what do you do and what do you talk about?”). You have to ensure your conduct shows how genuinely interested and open minded you are, and must not in any way see you as trying to control or invade privacy.
2. Monitor Behavior
You can get to see your children under different situations by being watchful during social gatherings, volunteering at school and participating in extracurricular activities. If in any case you realize that your children are overly aggressive, vulnerable to peer pressure or show other behavior that gives you cause for concern, talk to them about your concerns and correct the behavior. Keep watch on the warning signs associated with bullying behavior (e.g., fear of attending school, social withdrawal, fear of attending school, avoidance of or preoccupation with technology) and you can always believe that your instinct will intervene when it seem like your children are deviating.
3. Facilitate Positive Social Experiences
Assist your children in selecting hobbies and friends that will make them have a good feeling about themselves. Whenever you realize that certain activities or relationships are capable of causing bad feelings or unhealthy conflicts, talk about how things can be improved and keep away from negative scenarios. Be a guide to your children in helping them friends and interest in different settings, by doing so they would not have to depend on only one place as their social outlet. Help your children to stay close to at least one friend— the feeling of being socially attached can help to reduce the effects of bullying.
4. Promote Responsible Online Behavior
Speak with your children about behaving decently online, as well as showing respect for other people’s privacy including the negative effect of belittling others. They should also make sure that they understand how to protect their own privacy online (e.g., keep personal information, passwords and PINs confidential) and what their reaction should be when confronted with negative online behavior. Ensure to actively monitor your children activities online and assist them to set healthy limits as regards the time they spend online. When making you use of monitoring and filtering software, do not hide it and then feel you can depend on these kinds of tools as a means to directly involve yourself in your child’s online lives.
5. Talk about Bullying
Feel free to discuss bullying with your children. Explain what bullying means to them in detail; let them know what it looks like and what to do when such a thing happens. Let them understand your expectations and values as far as offline and online societal behaviors is concerned, and help them to understand what their own values should be as well as how they are to show it in the face of aggression and peer pressure. Talk and practice different ways in which they are to react to social cruelty, and make your children know that they are to come to you for help when they witness or happen to be involved in bullying situations.
6. Be a Role Model
Have you ever thought about what kind of message you pass to your children whenever you gossip, make judgmental comments or act in an aggressive manner toward family members, friends, help staffs in stores or drivers on the road. Make good use of technology and keep away from sending mean or biased posts and jokes. Show an example of what is takes to be an ally and to kick against both online and offline cruelty and prejudice.
7. Be Involved at School
Always be in support of practices, policies and programs that encourage positive social behavior and always speak up when adults/institutions no longer sustains their duty of protecting children and maintaining a safe environment. Don’t wait until your child is the target to get involved and speak up.
Here’s What You Can Do Next
We hope you found these bullying tips useful. Wheelchairs Against Guns needs your help to continue the fight against bullying, gangs, and gun violence. Please click the donate button and pledge your support.
My daughter has been bullied off and on for two years at tehippiti middle school and nothing is ever done by the school. Last year not one of the three girls was never spoken to. This year I’ve spoken to Fresno unified school district. And it stopped for two days and then for has now another girl jumped my daughter and threw her tongue ground and hurt her back..my daughter doesn’t want to go to school and her grades have dropped tremendously. I was told this girl would be expelled and not return to this school. Two days later, she’s back and my daughter is terrified. One staff member told me it would be best if my daughter switched schools..what kind of bull is that
I wanna send my deepest concerns to you and your daughter. Sad to say I believe schools might over looked this as kids being kids. Which is a horrible approach, something has to be done before the violence steps in. I encourage you to take your child out of that school, and go on a full fledge paper assault on that school, and it administrators that allowed your daughter to be bullied. Talk to other parents, get people on your local level involved, elected officials etc. Don’t over look this, it has already become violent. Karate school might also be some advice just for self defense purposes, but please let this be the last step. Hey don’t forget to hit the donate button so we can continue our fight to end bullying, gangs, and gun violence!
I firmly believe that most, (not all) teachers work for a pay check only. Get involved by being a thorn in the schools side until they get sick of hearing you. Document everything so you will have an historical event log. You might need that for legal issues down the road. Make sure you help your child, but don’t enable them. Guide them don’t do it for them. Love them and always in courage them.
I believe that as well. My son is only 7 years old and it hurt me yesterday to watch him break down telling me on how the bigger kids bully him. The reason I agree with you that the teachers just want a check is because. My 4 year old witnessed my son being chased she watched him run to her pre-k teacher and he told her the boy is chasing me trying to beat me up..I lost it when my daughter told me that her teacher responded to my son with why are you running in the hallway? I’m like was she not listening what was my son to do walk and get beat up.
i feel back for you son i would knock them out they were me i got bulled yesterday cuz im white and cuz my family is not very rich at all but tell your son i feel bad
I agree. You can’t fight their battles for them, but you can hold people accountable.
My grandson has been bullied for the past couple years. My daughter is now considering home schooling him. What do you think?
I would look into applying pressure on the school to intervene 1st, if it’s happenjng on school grounds, 2nd reach out to your elected officials, or local organization to step in, 3rd start to show your grandson the techniques to building and maintaining a positive self esteem, self love is important in the vain world we live in now, 4th ( my personal thought) appproach the parents and child, 5th change schools and last but not least self denfense classes.
hello my name is tanya and I’m going something like my son is doing bullyn and already talk to teacher and address and did nothing worse but the things put my son and the other boy confrotaron now make him more bullyn ya extreme that my son does not want to go to school they call him a hen and the children come in little groups and they insult him and I do not know what to do I’m very angry nose if I talk to the parents of those children about what is happening.
my 8 year old son killed him self because these kid would say go kill him self and hes so white and poor and,fat so he had it so he stab him self
I am the Founder of WAG, and I wanna send my personal condolences to you. I can’t imagine the pain your feeling. This is why my program is essential to schools. We have a curriculum designed to show children how to build and maintain a positive self esteem. our program’s first priority is to protect children from the dangers of bullying, gangs and gun violence. So I encourage you to sign our petition, that will be rolling out tomorrow. Also you should reach out to your elected officials or local organizations to shed light on what happened to your son. It’s not normal, what did the school do to help?