The experience that you have under your belt, plus the advice from experts, can help protect your child from a bully.
1. Take action if you learn your child is being bullied. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your child how to properly respond.
2. Teach your child by example. Research shows that children who witness violence and aggression at home have a higher risk of becoming a bully, or becoming the victim of a bully. This applies to physical and verbal aggression.
3. Give your child clues on how to spot a bully. Some bullies are the stereotypical large, mean boy in the hallway. But other kids bully using degrading words. Your child will learn how to identify a bully and that it’s okay to choose not to be friends with this kind of person.
4. Create an environment that helps your child build friendships. Bullies often target kids who are loners. You protect your child if you help him have good friends.
5. Practice dealing with bullies with your child at home. Just like fire drills at school, practice is an important aspect of learning the right and wrong ways to handle a tough situation.
6. Find an adult to intervene. If you know about bullying at school, notify your child’s teacher and the principal. Let them know that you expect them to properly handle the situation. If there isn’t an adult around, teach your child to find an adult to intervene. And if you witness bullying, as an adult, you should tell the bully to stop.
7. Enroll your child is self defense classes. This will help build his self esteem, which will help bullies stay away. These moves are also beneficial to know if your child is in another type of dangerous situation.
8. Build your child’s self esteem through your words and actions. Bullies can make a child feel down on himself, but you have the power to speak positively into his life.
9. Be nice to the bully. They’re less likely to pick on kids if their parents are nice to them.
