How To Deal With Child Bullying?

At some point in time, most kids have been teased by a sibling or a friend. And it’s not generally harmful when done in a playful, friendly, and mutual way, and both kids laugh it off. But when the same teasing becomes hurtful, unkind, and constant, it crosses the line and turns into bullying. This needs to be stopped. Here is all that you need to know in order to deal properly with child bullying.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is when someone intentionally torments another verbally, physically, psychologically, or even via social media — by sending messages about someone, hurting or tarnishing their image on purpose. Thanks to the advance of technology, we are more aware than before of bullying at school and to some extent also know how to handle it.
Bullying is never ok. Most parents refuse to acknowledge bullying either by their children or by other children towards their own child. They ignore it as common teasing and a little fight among kids that are normal. They don’t want to get involved and want their kids to handle their issues on their own. While this might be OK if it is a minor altercation, parents need to get involved when it is a case of bullying and need to raise their voice against it.
Before getting down to understand how to make out that your child is being bullied and ways to handle it, let’s first try to understand why some kids choose to inflict pain on others deliberately? What necessitates bullying?

Why Do Kids Bully?

There can be various factors that give birth to a bully, the chief being a desire for wielding power. Bullies are born young, but if their actions are not controlled, they tend to get worse as they age. Preschoolers tend to tease and grab each other’s things, something which is acceptable at that age. Gradually by kindergarten, aggressive kids start targeting others who they believe are vulnerable because they may be shy, small or simply different. It is around this time that parents and teachers have to get involved and instill discipline among kids, teach them which behavior is acceptable and which is not.
Some of the specific reasons why children tend to bully are:

• When parents are too strict at home, children tend to behave similarly with others at school
• Sometimes children may not get the attention they need from parents. Children from broken homes or those whose parents are alcoholic tend to grab attention by being a bully at school. Also read: Top 10 Signs Of Bad Parenting
• Sometimes if a child is bullied by an older sibling at home, he/she can behave in a similar way at school to feel empowered
• Some children do it for the sheer popularity that it brings along. They want others to look upto them and behave as per their wishes

Signs Your Child Is Getting Bullied

But the question is, how do you understand that your child is a victim at school? In most cases, the target chooses to remain quiet because they feel powerless against their tormentor and are threatened with dire consequences. They begin to develop a complex that they are alone and different from others. Here are some signs to watch out for to identify if your child might be a victim of bullying. He/she may develop any or all of them:

• Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and loss of appetite
• Gradual deterioration of academic performance. Loses interest in school work. Finds excuses to stay away from school. Complains of physical ailments frequently
• Refuses to go to school or take the school bus. Shows no interest in taking part in school activity with peers
• Appears sad, moody and irritable when he/she comes from school
• Comes home with cuts and bruises or has damaged and missing books
• Has fewer friends
• Changes in sleep pattern or trouble sleeping. Complains of frequent nightmares

Do not ignore if you notice any of the above. It may/may not be a case of bullying, but it is always better to get things sorted out before they get uglier. If you suspect that your child is hiding facts, make sure you inform the school authorities to keep a watch and sort out issues if any.