Parents! It’s Back to School Time, Now is the Perfect Opportunity to Talk to your Kids About Bullying! This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, which means one thing, summer is officially over. It’s back to school time and with school there is one conversation that should be had in every household and that is one about “Bullying”.
Bullying is a widespread and serious problem that can happen anywhere. It is not a phase children have to go through, it is not “just messing around”, and it is not something to grow out of. Bullying can cause serious and lasting harm.
Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves:
* Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves
* Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm
* Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the person over and over by the same person or group.
Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can:
- Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help.
- Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.
- Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.
Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.
- Encourage kids to speak to a trusted adult if they are bullied or see others being bullied. The adult can give comfort, support, and advice, even if they can’t solve the problem directly. Encourage the child to report bullying if it happens.
- Talk about how to stand up to kids who bully. Give tips, like using humor and saying “stop” directly and confidently. Talk about what to do if those actions don’t work, like walking away
- Talk about strategies for staying safe, such as staying near adults or groups of other kids.
- Urge them to help kids who are bullied by showing kindness or getting help.
- Watch the short webisodes and discuss them with kids.
Let’s make stopping bullying a priority in our homes, talk to your kids today. For more tips on stopping bullying, please visit www.stopbullying.gov.
