No to Bullying | pearlhtml

NO TO BULLYING

We call it bullying when one child repeatedly picks on another child. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, over the phone, or over the Internet. The effects of bullying are serious and can include mental health problems and substance abuse.

Here are useful tips for handling bullying:

If Your Child Is Bullied

Help your child learn how to respond. Teach your child how to look the bully in the eye, to stand tall, and stay calm in a difficult situation—and then to walk away.
Teach your child when and how to ask for help.
Encourage your child to make friends with other children.
Support activities that interest your child.
Alert school officials to the problem and work with them on solutions.
Make sure an adult who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.
Try to minimize any time that your child must be alone with the bully without adult supervision.

If Your Child Is the Bully

Be sure your child knows that bullying is never okay.
Set firm and consistent limits on your child's aggressive behavior.
Be a positive role model. Show children they can get what they want without teasing, threatening, or hurting someone.
Use effective, non-physical discipline, such as the losing of privileges.
Develop practical solutions with the school principal, teachers, counselors, and parents of the children your child has bullied. For example, some children are asked to write letters of apology to other children and/or participate in anti-bullying classes or community service.
Watch your child. If you know your child is prone to being aggressive or mean socially, you need to police your child and be ready to pull them out of a situation when his or her behavior could become inappropriate.

By Kristen Danielson, M.D.

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