From the time your children are born, you nurture and protect them, guiding them through the intricacies of growing up. But at some point, you have to send them out into the real world. You can only hope that you’ve prepared them for the challenges that they’ll face.
But what if they’re being bullied? It’s probably not something that you planned for, and it can be tough for their young minds to comprehend. For their entire lives, everyone has been nice, and now someone is suddenly being mean. And you’re not going to stand for it. Here are some ways to deal with your child getting bullied.
Explain What’s Happening
Once you realize that your child is being bullied, make sure that they understand what is happening. They may be blaming themselves, thinking that they’ve done something wrong. Children need to understand that bullies have a problem, and that their behavior isn’t acceptable.
Gather Information
It’s important to let your child know that you’ll need to get other people involved to stop the bullying. They may be scared of what will happen when the bully finds out. They need to understand that it’s the bully that’s in trouble and not them. When you’re talking to your child, let them know that you’ll need as much information as possible to make the bully stop.
- What is the bully’s name?
- Is it just one person or a group of kids?
- Where is it happening?
- When is it happening?
- What are they doing?
Make Contact
Once you have all of the details, it’s time to make contact. Reaching out to the bully or their parents might not be the best idea.
If the bullying is happening at school, you’d want to contact the principal first. They can intervene, notifying the bully’s parents, and possibly arrange some sort of intervention that could solve the problem.
If it’s happening at a local club or other organization, you would want to speak to whomever is in charge. Your goal is to involve a third party with authority who will investigate the issue, involving the bully’s parents at some point.
Follow Up
Once all parties are aware of the bullying issue, there should be a zero tolerance policy concerning any threatening behavior. If your best efforts have failed, and the bullying continues, you could have legal options. Children aren’t allowed to threaten or harm other children.