Bullying is a major issue in our schools that may have long-lasting effects on the victims’ mental health which prompts many psychologists, educators, and parents to think what can be done about it. From the perspective of a bullied child, one way to deal with being bullied is building a friendship. Having a friend may offer an essential support and peer approval for the person to develop self-confidence which is essential to counteract bullying. Further, being together with a friend on a playground or in the cafeteria reduces the risk of being picked on. Also, having friendly bonds and support from the non-bullied kids sends an important message to the bully that peers condemn his or her actions.
There are a few things parents can do to help their bullied children. For one, they should foster self-confidence in their children while also being there to support them. Secondly, parents should ensure that their child is involved in enough social activities where they have an opportunity to learn essential social skills and find friends. Thirdly, parents can help their children come up with strategies of how to respond to bullying (preparing a number of response phrases and jokes to get out of the escalating situation). Lastly, parents serve as positive examples of how to build positive relationships and how to defend themselves without being aggressive (Marano, 2010).
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"Bullying Discussion".
Because much of the bullying takes place in schools, educators should also take steps to deal with this matter. Specifically, adopting policies of no tolerance and watching the discipline at school is one thing they can do to reduce bullying. Secondly, promoting empathy and letting all students feel the distress the bullied child experiences for education purposes may be an effective way to reduce bullying at schools. Lastly, educators can help by developing a culture of responsible bystanders who do not let bullying go unnoticed at schools (Holt et al., 2013).
- Holt, M. K., Raczynski, K., Frey, K. S., Hymel, S., & Limber, S. P. (2013). School and community-based approaches for preventing bullying. Journal of School Violence, 12(3), 238-252.
- Marano, H.E. (2010). Top Strategies for Handling a Bully. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/