What Should You Do If Your Child is Bullied?
No parent wants their child to be bullied, yet it can happen. If your child comes home and tells you they are being bullied, then you might wonder what you can do. First, you should be proud that they told you. Children don’t often tell parents about bullying as it makes them feel week and embarrassed.
If your child has told you, they might have already tried ignoring or avoiding the bully, standing up for themselves, using humor to calm the situation, shutting down their Facebook, and even stopping texting.
If they’ve tried all that, you might think that there is nothing left that they can do. However, there are a few things you can help them do. Today, we’re going to go into how you can help your child if they are bullied at school or in life.
Talk, Report, and Document
Before taking any other steps,go talk to your child’s teacher and principle. Make sure you speak with your child and document any and all cases of bullying they can remember. If cyberbullying is happening, take screenshots. Make sure you have as much evidence as you can before you go to school.
Though it’s much easier to take kids at face value, downplaying still happens. For the same reason that cops want proof before they arrest someone, a teacher might not want to contact parents or punish a child without clear evidence. Be careful about going to the parents of the offender. While in some cases this can result in a calm talk, other parents might get understandably defensive of their child. Using a middle man and proof can break some of this tension.
Network Out of School
After reporting the issue to the right people, your child still needs to get back on track. When a child is bullied, chances are they aren’t getting the interaction that they need in school. They might have a harder time making friends in school with the constant worry of bullying. However, taking them to after-school activities can help this issue in more than one way.
Taking them to community soccer, karate classes, painting classes, or gymnastics can be a great way to get them into something new, help them make friends, and help them boost their confidence. Make sure that they pick the after school activity so that you know they are doing something they love.
Encourage Your Child To Speak
Bullies love keeping their victims in isolation. It makes sure that they don’t get in trouble and allows more of an opportunity for them to bully a child. Your child might find themselves drawing in and avoiding situations merely to avoid getting bullied. If this is the case, make sure you are encouraging your child to talk during class, make friends during lunch, and play with others at recess. While displaying confidence all the time might not keep the bullying from happening, it can help them make friends who can help them with stay away from the bully.
There are many things a child can do to try to alleviate bullying issues. However, there is only so much a parent can do without looking “overbearing.” By talking to the proper people, making sure your child gets enough time with friends and encouraging them to stay active in school you give them the best chance to overcome bullying. Never be afraid to talk to the teachers more than once and don’t give up until your child isn’t bullied anymore.