No Bully

Parents

Parents want their children to make friends and feel safe at school. The discovery that their child is being bullied opens a Pandora’s box of emotions, ranging from protectiveness and outrage to feelings of helplessness in fighting for their child’s safety and well-being. Under Federal law your child has the right to a safe educational environment. This page offers you support and suggestions in making that happen.

Be interested in your child’s friendships. Don’t expect your children to volunteer that they are being bullied or harassed. Even in the case of the closest parent-child relationships, the student code of silence generally prevails. Ask your children who their friends are. Visit their classrooms. Talk to their teachers.

Watch for signs that your child is being bullied or excluded. Typical clues of bullying are stomach aches, headaches, irritability, lack of friends, social withdrawal, sudden change in behavior, depression, reluctance to go to school and, in the case of physical bullying, unexplained cuts and bruises.

Don’t intervene behind your child’s back. Instead, ask your child about their friendships and what they do at recess. Monitor their online activity and educate them about safe use of the Internet. Broach the subject of bullying indirectly and give your child space to answer. Empathize with your child and reassure him or her of your love. Many children experience being bullied as deeply humiliating, believing it is their fault.

Don’t dispense advice. Instead, strategize with your child. Ask him or her if they want to change seats or classrooms or even schools. Role-play what they might do or say in the future. If they are subject to cyberbullying, talk about changing their e-mail, screen names and cell number and only giving these to students they trust. Find activities for them outside their school peer group where they can be valued and succeed for who they are.

Don’t confront the parents of the students targeting your child. More often than not, these confrontations are tainted with anger and can make your child’s situation worse.

Approach your child’s school as a potential ally, not your enemy. Speak to your child’s homeroom teacher; calmly lay out the facts and try to win their support. If that does not stop the bullying, make an appointment with the school administrator responsible for school safety. Ensure that your school has a written anti-bullying policy. Encourage the school to adopt an anti-bullying program that they maintain through the years. Refer them to the No Bully® website.


No Bully contact information

 

415-820-3956
info@nobully.com

© 2011 No Bully.