Sadly, bullying is not uncommon and has been prevalent for years. While adults might still experience bullying in professional spaces or personal relationships, children and teenagers are often the ones to deal with these issues more frequently. As a parent, it can be heartbreaking to see your child upset due to bullies at their school, or worse, they might not tell you about it at all. If you are a parent or guardian who is worried that your children are being harassed by bullies, here are some tips on how you can help.
Speak To Their Teachers
Children might beg you not to say anything for fear that intervention might make things worse for them. While it’s true that there could be a risk of this, equally, you can’t stand by and do nothing. If you are worried that your child is being bullied at school, ask to arrange a meeting with their teachers to discuss this. Together you might be able to come up with a suitable plan to tackle the situation sensitively to prevent further bullying and perhaps even discover the root cause of this behavior to remedy it effectively.
Be Mindful Of The Internet
You might remember the days when the internet was not such an integral part of life as it is now, but your kids don’t. However, even though your kids might be savvy when it comes to surfing the internet and using modern tech, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t still at risk on these platforms. Bullying has become even more prevalent now as social media has become a lifeline for a lot of young people. Once, a child might have some respite from bullies when they got home from school, but now these attacks can happen online with ease, making the bullying relentless.
Studies have shown that self-harming and suicide have increased with the popularity of social media as cyberbullying has boomed. This is a tragic reality but makes it all the more important for parents and guardians to be mindful of how much time children and teenagers should be spending on online spaces. Limiting screentime at home can help to distract your child or teen from bullies online. Reporting cyberbullying and abuse when you see it is also important. If you are worried about your child becoming depressed or suicidal as a result of bullying, there is professional support out there you can turn to. Igniteteentreatment.com is an organization that helps young adults with a variety of mental health struggles, including depression and suicidal thoughts. There will also be similar centers aimed at younger children if your kids are not teenagers yet, but are going through the same struggles.
Show Them That They Are Loved
Finally, while you might not be able to stop the bullies completely, you can make sure that your child knows they are loved. Creating a safe environment for them at home where they can talk to you about how they are feeling and helping to boost their self-esteem by reminding them of all of the things that make them a unique, wonderful person is key. Remind them of their self-worth as best as you can, and try to teach them how to recognize unhealthy relationships if they appear to have toxic friendships that might be contributing to their low mental health.
No parent wants to see their child suffer at the hands of bullies, but it is something that will likely happen at one time or another during their school years. If you are worried about your child being bullied, consider the points above and use these as starting points to help support them through this difficult time.
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