School Bullying

Have you or your one of your children had experience with school bullying? Were you one of the 70% who are said to have been bullied during childhood?

Statistics vary from study to study but no-one can debate that the culture of school bullying has existed in some shape or form throughout time, but one area where we can put measures in place to help insulate our kids from bullies is at school.

Both of my children have encountered school bullies and as a mother I have had to reign in the lioness inside me and handle the situation in a way that best serves my children in the short, medium and long term. (my husband doesn't share exactly the same attitude as myself and the school so it is fortunate that I handle most of these issues)....'Hit them once really hard and they wont bother you again' he said once...'thats what I did once at school and it worked for me.'
Thankfully both of my kids listened to me so far and didn't resort to physical retaliation. (this is because mostly the bullying is verbal and emotional.) Of course verbal and emotional abuse can be the most lasting in it's effects, but given the right preparation and support, a child can learn to disempower a verbal bully by not allowing their taunts to affect them.

Do you have a bullying story to share with other parents?

- Write a post in this school bullying forum. (and see other submissions)

I do tell my children however that in the case of painful or dangerous physical attack, they have the right to use physical force to protect themselves.

Children who are given the emotional tools can resist and even prevent any attempts at bullying.(those kids that are being bullied have been unable to communicate to any prospective bullies that they would not be a good victim and that the consequences would be substantially negative to warrant desisting or looking for another victim).

It is so hard to put an old head on young shoulders but role-modelling some strategies for responses in bullying situations can be good preparation.

In reality, if your child is small, new at school, shy, disabled, different in some way they will need to know that a bully is looking for a weakness or a vulnerability and they need to know and be confident of how they will respond, and that they will have support.

All schools have a policy on managing school bullying

As parents we need to know and feel confident in the school's attitude and action plan in regards to school bullying. Even more importantly we need to communicate and work as a team with the school to ensure that they have all the facts and that the offenders are handled objectively and constructively. (Taking things into your own hands is not appropriate as a parent or effective long term). In some cases it could make things worse with the bully as they know that you are just not around.The school has the position and mandate to follow through on a bullying scenario, but your child must understand the importance of the principal being kept informed.

Many kids just wont tell a parent or a teacher

Many parents believe that their child would naturally tell them if they were being harassed or bullied at school, but several have been shocked to learn that they have missed the signs and the opportunities to help. (My youngest son would never tell, but his older brother tells me everything that happens in the playground to either of them).

Another Helpful Link : Visit http://www.stop-bully-bullying-now.com to read statistics and strategies for helping your child deal with bullying at school. There are signs to look out for and we as parents need to be fairly diligent to ensure support and an effective resolution.

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