What We Can Do About Bullying - A Parents Guide

Previously, we looked at the serious aftereffects that bullying could have on our children. The aftereffects can be serious, which is why parents need to understand how to address bullying. Parents can help their children learn important strategies that can help them stop or prevent bullying. Some of the best strategies for parents can include getting involved more with their children, supporting children who have become victims of bullies and raising awareness of this problem. If you are looking for more answers to help you address bullying with your children, here are more helpful tips and ideas for parents that can help stop or prevent bullying in the future.

Know the Symptoms
One of the best things parents can do to help prevent or stop bullying is to know the symptoms of bullying. In most cases, children will not come right out and tell their parents that they are being bullied. In many cases, they are afraid to break the silence, which is why parents need to take the time to know the symptoms that may clue them in that their child is being bullied. Some of the common symptoms of bullying include: anxiety, vague physical problems like stomaches and headaches, fearfulness, sudden dislike of school, feeling sick on school days, damaged belongings, unexplained bruises and nightmares.

Talking to Your Child
If you do notice that your child is displaying some of the symptoms of bullying, it is important to talk to your child. However, an indirect approach usually works best for most children. Instead of asking outright about bullying, try talking to your child about school, their friends, how they spend their time at lunch or how things are going on the school bus. You may also want to ask your child whether they have noticed if there are any bullies at school. They don't have to admit to being bullied right away to answer this question. The next step is to simply listen to your child. Give them time to talk to you about how things are going at school. If they talk to you about bullying, work on listening and understanding. Avoid showing anger or distress.

Become an Advocate
Another thing parents can do to deal with bullying is to become an advocate for their child at school or any other place their child is being bullied. If the bullying is occurring at school, get involved, talking with your child's teach and the authorities at school to help address the problem quickly. Make sure that the school authorities are made aware of the bullying problem and be sure to keep your own written records of any bullying incidents, meetings you have had with teachers or meetings with other school officials.

Other Solutions
Of course, there are other solutions you can use to help deal with bullying as well. Safety training workshops can often be used at schools to help teach kids about nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Enrolling children in martial arts programs is another excellent idea. Martial Arts programs help to teach kids ways to deal with conflicts, they can help improve a child's self-esteem and work to build up self-confidence in kids as well. Some parents avoid martial arts programs because they think they focus on violence. This is not the case. Martial Arts training focuses on teaching children the skills they need to avoid conflict in the first place, which is important for children who may face problems with bullying at school or in other places.

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