Bullying
Bullying happens when stronger kids pick on weaker kids. It is aggressive behavior that is repeated and planned or intentional. Bullying can cause a decrease in school performances and can decrease self esteem. The child who is doing the bullying may be abused themselves or have trouble at home.
Bullying can occur in many different forms, such as physical, verbal and even on the internet via email or text messaging. One questions often asked is, "How do I know my child is being bullied?". Be sure to talk to your child, watch for changes in behavior such as depression or anxiety. Not wanting to go to school, walking to school by a different routes, decrease school performance or decrease in self esteem.
Your child may not tell you about the bullying because they are embarrassed or afraid they will make things worse.
Bullying occurs most often at 8-9 years of age. Boys more commonly bully in physical ways and girls tend to be more verbal.
If your child is being bullied make sure they know they should tell a teacher, a parent or another adult they trust. These issues are best addressed before they happen.
Tell your child to ignore the bully as much a possible with showing little reaction or emotion such as crying, getting angry or looking scared. This will often make the bully lose interest.
Talk you your child's teacher and school principal. They may have methods in place to address these issues. Talk to the child's parents, they may be unaware that their child is acting like a bully.
If your child is doing the bullying, be sure to get help. It may be an early sign of more serious behavior problems.
Please call our office if you need help dealing with a serious bullying problem.