Most of us have had at least one encounter with a bully in our lifetime. Have you ever wondered what makes a bully a bully? I still cannot figure out what causes someone to pick with and harass another person on a regular basis.
Today kids have a larger scope in which to bully someone with the presence of social media. This poses a large problem. I’ve heard of horrific stories of kids posting pics of other kids on social media with hurtful and damaging comments. I am sure you may have even come across a few of those stories yourself… but what do you do when your child is that story. What approach do you take?
As parents, most of us put a great deal of focus on building up the self esteem of our children. When a bully comes along and tries to humiliate a child it can have life long affects.
I myself have had a few bouts as a kid. I was called giraffe, Big Bird, Olive Oyl and Gumby growing up just to name a few (Jolly Green Giant was my favorite). Kids will be kids and unfortunately, kids call each other names sometimes. The problem arises when things go beyond name calling or when a kid’s picture is plastered on the internet with such hurtful words for the world to see. That brings it to a whole different level.
Back in the day we had a fist fight or two over words (which do hurt) when a bully does not lay off but now days we try to handle things more diplomatically.
Unfortunately, bullies still exist and teaching our kids to deal with them is not fun but necessary. Nobody deserves to be harassed and lets face it. Bullying is harassment. As parents, it is up to us to take the necessary steps whether our child is the victim or the aggressor. Nobody wants to be on either end of this spectrum but it happens every day, we see the consequences every day. Just turn on the TV or log on to any social media site. So what are some solutions?
Lets try this:
-have a real conversation with your kids about words and actions. Include racial slurs as these hurtful and evil words are being uttered far too often by kids. Kids repeat what they hear from us.
-make sure there are REAL consequences for the child’s actions. No iPad or iPhone for example or some other privilege the child enjoys.
-SPEAK UP; I encourage my kids who are a year apart in school to speak up for one another.
Silence is betrayal. Let us teach our kids to love one another, whether we actually like each other or not. It is up to us.
