Monthly Archives: July 2016

What To Do If Your Child is Being Bullied

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It’s extremely important that you talk to your children about bullying. Explain to your child what bullying is and tell him or her that it is never okay to be a bully. Not only can bullying make a child’s daily life very difficult, but it can also affect them down the road in life.

If your child is being bullied, there are a few things you as a parent can do about the situation, starting with telling him or her that it is not their fault. If your child approached you about the bullying go on to praise him or her and assure your child that you will help.  The following includes what action you should take if you child is being bullied:

Provide them with comfort and advice. Unfortunately, we can’t put a stop to bullying as immediately as we would like, but we can provide our children with tips for avoiding such harassment. If your child is being cyber bullied, you can walk them through the steps of privacy settings or discuss staying off the internet for a while to avoid the bully. Teach your child how to stay calm when responding to the bully, as reacting may encourage the bully more. Some experts have said to remove the bully’s incentives. For example, if your child’s lunch money is being stolen, try packing them a lunch instead. There is no shame is taking the high road. You should remind your children that if your advice does happen to fail, they are in no way at fault or responsible for being bullied.

Contact your child’s school. After talking with your child about the bullying situation, you should contact your child’s school. Though your child may be able to keep things to themselves, adult intervention is a necessary step in bringing the bullying to an end. Be sure to discuss the situation with your child’s teacher or principal, and make it clear that you want immediate efforts taken on their end. Also, make sure to familiarize yourself with your school’s bullying code and any relevant state laws. If you feel that your child may potentially be in danger, you may also want to contact local legal authorities. Before you approach anyone, make sure that you know the bully’s name and the specific instances when the bullying occurred.

You, as a parent, should listen calmly and carefully if your child does approach you about being bullied, meaning you shouldn’t overreact. Yelling or crying may intimidate your child, and possibly stop them from communicating in the future. There’s no doubt it’s an emotional experience discovering that your child is being bullied, however your child’s comfort should come first.

Take your child seriously and avoid laughing the situation off, or again, they may cut communication in the future. Your goal should be to show your child you care and understand the challenges of being bullied. Assure that you will stop the bully together as a team.

If you would like to learn more about bullying and what you can do to prevent it, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225. Or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information regarding bullying.

Four Common Types Of Bullying

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There are several types of bullying that both children and adults can experience, though some can be more obvious than others. Nevertheless, every form of bullying should be taken serious. While schools are trying to do the best they can do to deal with bullying, parents are still the key to teaching their children how to prevent and stop it altogether. To help identify different types of bullying, we here at Simple Acts of Care and Kindness have complied a list of the four most common types of bullying, which include the following:

Physical Bullying- This type of bullying involves hitting, kicking, pinching, pushing and tripping, or stealing or damaging personal property. Physical bullying can cause both short term and long term damage. Many children won’t tell their parents when it occurs, so keep an eye out for possible warn signs such as unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches, missing or damaged clothes, or frequent complaints of stomach aches or headaches.

Verbal Bullying- Verbal bullying involves name calling, insults, teasing, threats or homophobic or racist remarks. While verbal bullying can start out harmless, it can mount to levels that start affecting the individual target. Some signs of verbal bullying include things such as being withdrawn, becoming moody or a change in appetite.

Social Bullying- Social bullying, referred to as overt bullying, is often hard to recognize and can be carried out behind the target back. It’s often done to harm someone’s social status and/or to cause humiliation. Signs of this type of bullying include shifting towards being alone, mood changes and becoming withdrawn from a group of friends. Examples of this type of social bullying include:

  • Lying and spreading rumors
  • Rudely mimicking someone
  • Playing nasty tricks to embarrass and humiliate
  • Negative facial or physical gestures
  • Encouraging others to exclude someone
  • Damaging someone’s social acceptance or reputation

Cyber Bullying- This certain type of bullying can be overt and covert bullying behavior. The bully would use digital technologies, including hardware like computers and smartphones, and software such as social media, texts, websites and other online platforms. Cyber can happen both in public or private and sometimes only the target and the bully know it’s occurring. Signs of cyber bulling may involve your child, after being on their phone or social media sites, more and becoming sad or anxious afterward. Cyber bullying includes:

  • Abusive or mean text messages or posts, images or videos
  • Purposely excluding others online
  • Posting nasty gossip or rumors online
  • Imitating people online or using their log-in to hurt them

If your child does approach you about being bullied or someone else being bullied, be sure to be supportive, praise them for the courage letting you know, and calmly gather information about the situation at hand. Always take action when it comes to bullying, especially if it becomes persistent or severe, by contacting your child’s teacher or principal to help monitor the situation until it stops completely.

If you’d like to learn about how you can put an end to bullying, contact Simple Acts of Care and Kindness at 866-459-7225. Or visit www.simpleacts.org for additional information regarding the different types bullying.