So things are rough and you are being bullied or your child has been bullied. How do you deal? What do you do?
A) Parents need to be there for their children to rebuild their confidence and sense of self-worth in the aftermath of bullying.
Praise your child for speaking up about being bullied. It can be very scary to talk about bullying. Tell your child how brave he or she is.
Reassure your child that the bullying is not his or her fault. That you trust and believe them. That you are there for them. Make sure your child understands that you will do everything to help him or her deal with the bully. That tells and shows them that you are indeed that safe haven they can count on.Listen and discuss in a non-judgmental way.
That is to me personally one of THE most important things you can be and do as the adult and the parent first and foremost.
B) It is recommended that parents coordinate with the school’s administrators to resolve the incident at school
C) Keep a log about the times, places, locations, children involved, and type of bullying. Make sure to have your child help with this. This would assist with the reporting
D) Check with your local laws about bullying. They vary from place to place, country to country as we are all aware. Call the nearest education board, ministry or education, counselling or psychology authorities. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help and look for resources that are available out there thru online , people or organizations
E) Talk to someone. Seek connection.
The worse feeling in the world is isolation. Parents should find other parents who are going through the same thing and lean on them for tips, tricks and other advice for you and your child as you deal with a bully. Chances are if your child is bullied, the same child is doing the exact same thing to another child. It won’t be the last if not stopped.
Connect with other people who have or are coping with being bullied. There is strength in positively feeling connected, lessons to be learned from each other.
Talk about it. Bullies feed off being in control. Take that away from them. Let out the anger and sadness. Bottling up the anger, frustration, and humiliation of being bullied will only make things worse inside.
I would also encourage peers to reach out and just be a good shoulder and ear if they do see a friend that is in a dark space. It is amazing how a small gesture of support does mean a lot.
Find and visit a therapist yourself and for the child There may be a lot of conflicting feelings even for you, as a parent, watching your child be bullied.
F) Do something that feels good.
Bullying is very hard on the self-esteem. Find an activity that makes you/makes your child feel better about him or herself. It might be music, singing writing, acting. sports Whatever it maybe, feel it, go out and seek it.
It does get better.To some might sound cliche, but it's true, especially if you're still in school. When you're younger, you might know more than some older folks, but with age does come perspective and a little bit more wisdom. You will be alright. The choice is yours.
Till next time. Love and kindness. Spread that around.
Illani
CreaTee