Kids who are victims of bullying need a lot of support from their parents. Parents must know what to do and say in order to properly support their victimized child. Without proper support from the parents, victims of bullying are sure to suffer.
· Communicate with your child. Communicating with your child is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. Parents need to remember that most children who are victims of bullying will not tell an adult. Therefore, it is up to the parents to open the lines of communication with their children. Talk with your children when you notice unusual behavior. Tell them you are concerned and ask if other children at their school are teasing or bullying them.
· Communicate with the school. Communicating with the teachers and administrators at the school is also important. Even though your child may beg you not to communicate with the school, it is still an important and necessary step in eliminating bullying from your child’s life. Let the school know that you are concerned about your child and that you would like to know what steps they are taking to protect your child. It is also wise to document any communication you have with the school. Document who you spoke with, the date of the visit, and any action that was taken.
· Journal. Keep a journal of incidents that your child reports to you. Document the name of the child who is bullying, what happened, when and where it happened, and if there were any witnesses. Use this as documentation when you speak with teachers and administrators.
· Pay attention to signals. Parents need to be paying attention to the signals that their children are sending out. Signals include torn clothing, making excuses not to go to school, and a sudden drop in grades. Once you have noticed any of these signals, you must now act on them and speak with your child about what is happening.
· Educate yourself. Educate yourself before giving your child advice. Assuming you know what your child should do and offering this advice could easily make the problem worse. If your child approaches you and tells you that he is a victim of bullying, the first question you should ask is, “What strategies have you tried to eliminate the problem?” After you have this information you should then ask, “What other strategies do you think might work?” Then, you want to work with your child to come up with other possible solutions to the problem. You want to brainstorm solutions with your child rather than give them the solution.
· Improve your child’s self-confidence. Many victims of bullying are students who do not have a lot of self-confidence. This needs to change. It is important that your child become involved in activities that he excels in. This improves self-esteem and lets him associate with children who have similar interests. Make sure these activities are ones that your child enjoys participating in, not ones that you want him to participate in.
If you have children who are victims of bullying, they will need your support. Without your support, these kids will suffer in silence. Knowing how to support them is the first step in helping them eliminate bullying from their lives.
