You can’t seem to shake the sinking feeling out of your system. No matter how bright the sun is shining, all you see is darkness. Getting out of bed is a battle you want to loose every day. You just don’t see the point of living anymore. Your self confidence is at an all time low and the reality of you being unworthy has just dawned upon you.
‘Why should I even bother living this life of pain and misery?’ you think to yourself. Determined to put things to an end you decide to please those who are constantly putting you down. You take the ultimate decision to end your life.
This is exactly what goes on in the mind of a child who is being continuously bullied. The constant picking and abuse takes a huge toll on the victim’s mental and physical health. There is no specific pre determined criteria while choosing a victim to bully.
Your simple existence might be a trigger for a bully to just pick on you.
Age, race, nationality, you name it; you can get picked on for anything. Bullies are sick enough to have a ‘special liking’ for children with disabilities. This makes you wonder how cruel the world can get. What goes on in the minds of these negative minded humans, we will never know. However, this issue needs to be resolved ASAP as things seem to be getting out of control.
What makes a child a bully? There are a number of factors that come into play in making a child resort to picking on others. Let’s look at a few:
Trauma: according to extensive research, children who have undergone a traumatic experience such as the death of a parent or being abused themselves; tend to take their stress out on others. This is their ‘coping’ mechanism. We all respond to stress in our own way. Some tend to react positively whereas others resort to negative means.
Being a victim themselves: a lot of children who are bullied may turn to bullying other children. It becomes a defence mechanism for them. It is a vicious cycle that goes on and on till it reaches an alarming level.
Environment: the environment in which a child lives plays a crucial role in the development of his/her mental and physical well being. If a child is neglected in his/her household, he/she will develop a sense of rejection. This low self esteem and feeling of being unworthy will drive that child to bully other children.
Lack of awareness: another probable factor is the lack of awareness. Children should be taught by their parents to respect and empathise with each other. They should be told how saying negative and hurtful things to other people can damage their self worth. Children need to be reminded again and again to lift those up in need rather than bringing them down.
Our role as parents and teachers:
There can be no other better role models than parents and teachers. Children look up to them and try to follow everything they do. Parents should especially sit down with their children and explain to them how their harsh words can be a source of pain for others. Teachers should also be vigilant and keep a check if any child has a habit of bullying. They should report it to the parents as well so they can ensure that their child stops this behaviour.
We need to step forward in order to stop this negative behaviour that has detrimental effects on the victim. Bullying is a serious issue and it is high time that it comes to an end.