Is your kid being bullied? Here’s how to help. At school, especially in primary and high school, students have a lot to deal with. They have to work out intricate social interactions and deal with bodies that appear to change on them every day, in addition to reading, writing, math, music, gym, and other varied classes and activities. When you add in the issue of bullying, we should be grateful that we’ve progressed past that stage as adults.
A short look at news across the Internet reveals a troubling picture. Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old boy, committed suicide in 2010 after being bullied for a long time. More recent catastrophes include Rebecca Sedwick, 12, and Rehtaeh Parsons, 17. Bullying can permanently harm a child’s psychological well-being and lead to suicide or other destructive behaviour, regardless of the specific techniques, words, or attacks used, or whether the individual is male or female, homosexual or straight.
if you know of someone who’s dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1–800–273–8255
Here are some tips to stop bullying before it gets out of hand.
Encourage your child to be honest with you about what happens at school.
Many children are hesitant to speak to their parents or another authority person for fear of not being believed or of their attackers becoming more aggressive in revenge for being reported. Begin communicating with your children as soon as you become aware of an issue. Let them know that they may come to you with whatever issues they are having.
Familiarise yourself with your school’s anti-bullying policy.
Every school has one, and each institution has its own set of procedures for dealing with complaints. For policy details and any forms they may have available for reporting problems, go to your school or school system’s website.
Document everything.
When your child tells you about a bullying incident, don’t try to file it away in your brain for later use. Write it down. Dates, times, areas, instigators, witnesses. If you have the need to visit your child’s school to report a problem, documentation will go a long way towards helping them help your child.
Have a meeting with school administrators and/or counsellors.
Talking things over with the people in charge of the school’s discipline and order is a critical step in preventing bullying before it gets out of hand. Be firm but courteous. When it comes to bullying, some teachers and principals may have a “boys will be boys” approach, but you can’t let the problem be dismissed so lightly.
Write a letter to the school principal.
Letters shouldn’t be threatening but should contain definitions of bullying found in your state’s laws to show how serious you are at rectifying the situation. Send the letter via certified mail so you have proof of its receipt, and consider sending a copy to the school board, especially if the principal doesn’t seem concerned with solving the problem.
Consider calling the police at any signs of actual physical violence or credible threats of physical violence.
Use your best judgement here; you don’t want to act too quickly, but your child’s safety is vital. It’s better to involve the authorities if you fear he or she is in immediate danger.
Don’t give up!
The most important thing to remember is to keep trying to help your child. Don’t be hesitant to report each instance of bullying to the school, especially if the bullies are the same and the behaviour is establishing a pattern. The school system exists to serve your child, so insist that they do so.
Bullying is a serious issue in today’s schools and can be a matter of life or death for your child. Be a friend and a protector to your child and let them know you’ll do whatever you need to do to keep them safe and make them happy.
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Additionally
Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller founded the It Gets Better Project in 2010 in response to many suicides among kids who were LGBT or whose peers assumed they were gay. The project’s purpose is to show kids, especially those in the LGBT community, that they don’t have to put up with bullying indefinitely. The project also aims to provide advice to teenagers on how to deal with their current challenges.
The It Gets Better Project has spawned tens of thousands of videos from people from all walks of life, including celebrities like Lady Gaga, Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and many others, and government officials like President Obama. Businesses like Google, Apple, Sony, and Microsoft have also sponsored videos for the project.
In his video contribution to It Gets Better, President Obama had this to say:
“We’ve got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage; that it’s just some inevitable part of growing up. It’s not. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids. And for every young person out there you need to know that if you’re in trouble, there are caring adults who can help.”
You can help, too. Head on over to the It Gets Better website to pledge your support in the battle against bullying.
