Have you been lately seeing your kid as aloof and withdrawn? Has their smile disappeared and demeanor changed? Do they avoid social gatherings? If “yes,” your kid is probably being bullied. Addressing bullying signs is extremely important because once the situation gets out of hand, the impact gets worse.
Off the top of our head, the four things a parent could make their kid feel safe are:
Have a heart-to-heart with them
Show them that you care
Deal with their angry feelings and find the root cause of them
Tell them to be assertive when they are being bullied but refrain from being aggressive
Kids often don’t understand why they are being bullied. They often feel that their weakness is what puts them in the line of fire. So, the first order of business is to make your kid believe in their self-worth and explain to them why they shouldn’t be fazed by the incidents.
Why Kids Bully?
A kid usually bullies another kid for the following reasons:
They want to feel in control and powerful when their personal life is spiraling out
Peer pressure
To cope with anger, jealousy, and unhappiness
Having no understanding of empathy
To deal with lack of confidence and self-esteem
In Simon Cowell’s words, “Most people are bullied because they are better than the people who bully them.” So, teach your kid their self-worth so that they can understand it’s not their weakness that makes them a target but their strength, and with that much power in them, they shouldn’t let mean words faze them.
How Parents Can Help
Educate Them About Bullying
As mentioned earlier, most kids don’t realize that they are being bullied. It often feels like peer pressure, which is equally damaging. So, let your kid know that they have a voice, and they can say “no” to anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Help Them Be a Role Model
Confidence building is all it takes to stop bullying. In bullying, three parties are involved: the perpetrator, the victim, and the bystander. Having experienced firsthand what bullying does, they should always stick up for other victims. This will give them the confidence to do the same in front of their perpetrator too.
Build Your Kid’s Self-Confidence
A happy and healthy kid does not care about other kids taunting them. That’s because they have important things in their life that matter more than paying attention to mean words. So, let your kid join different activity groups and allow them to pursue their passion.
Tell Them to Speak-Up
Kids who are bullied always keep quiet in fear of retaliation. What they don’t understand is that by speaking up, they can put the spotlight on the perpetrator. Parents should let teachers know that their kid is being bullied so that they can keep an eye out for the signs.
Conquering fear is the key to stop bullying; the moment kids understand this fact, they will stop being thrown off by the bully’s actions. So, give your kids the motivation they need to get up in the morning and make it through the day with a smile on their faces. The rest will follow as they discover their power with your advice in their head.
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