Five steps to take if your child is being bullied
51 The worst thing you can do is ignore it. Too often parents feel children and teens need to “work things out” on their own. If the problem is ignored, your child’s self-esteem will become unhealthy, he will be hurt mentally or physically, and he could become a bully himself.
Here are five steps you can take if your child is having problems with a bully:
52 This is an important first step and will help your child trust that you are able to help him with his problem. Accept what he has to say at face value by using your active listening skills.
Let your child know that he is not alone. 53 Reassure your child that he is not the problem. Nothing he did caused the bully to go after him.
If your child is being threatened in a physical or illegal way at school, report the problem. Your child may not want you to do this, or the school may not take it seriously, but violence cannot be tolerated. 54 You will need to model assertive (果断的) behavior by alerting those in charge where the bullying is taking place.
Teach your child assertive behavior and how to ignore routine teasing. Let them know it is okay to say “No.” sometimes even friends bully, so letting your child know they can be true to their own feelings and say “No” can go a long way.
55 Giving up possessions or giving in to a bully in anyway encourages the bully to continue. Identify ways for your child to respond to a bully---showing assertive but not aggressive behavior---and role-play them.
A．Believe what your child tells you.
B．Encourage your child not to give in to a bully.
C．Praise your child for being brave enough to talk about it.
D．Bullying is a terrible situation for a child to have to cope with.E. If you choose not to do anything, that is what you’re teaching your child.
F. Most children have to deal with some type of bullying behavior at one time or another.
G. If your child comes to you because a bully is bothering him, you need to pay close attention to the problem.
