How to Prevent Bullying-Ways to Stop Your Child From Being Bullied

Bullying is not something a parent wants to see done to their child, and fortunately there are a few things you can do to stop your child from being bullied at school. If you and they work on the following five things, the chances of your child being bullied will decrease.

1. Help your kid be cool. It is a well known fact that bullies tend to prey on the weaker kids, the ones on the outskirts of the social hierarchy, the ones who are easy targets. If you don’t want your child to be bullied, you have to try and make your child one of the cool kids, someone who has friends, and is accepted by peers. To do this, you have to mimic the things that are cool. This means dressing right, being involved in the right after school activities, etc. This does not mean you should compromise your child’s identity, just try to make it a little more streamline.

2. Buddy system beats the bully system. Bullies pick on the loners, and usually only pick targets that are easy to attack, whether that is verbally or physically. A single bully is less likely to attack a child who is with a friend or in a group. So, make sure your child has a friend they walk to and from school with, and encourage them to hang out in groups on the playground, and near the playground monitors if bullying is a real problem, as a bully will be less likely to attack if they are near adults.

3. Help them improve their confidence. A child with high self esteem is not usually a target for bullies. The reason being that bullies bully for the satisfaction of seeing their words etc. affect the victim. A child with high self esteem isn’t going to crumble at name calling etc. You can’t just give a child self esteem, they have to find it on their own, but you can help them develop their skills and talents, and constantly reinforce their worth to them until they start to feel they are someone of worth.

4. Teach them to tell on the bully. If they bully is getting in trouble each time they pick on your child because never fail your child tells, chances are they will stop picking on them soon enough. A bully isn’t going to want to get in trouble any more than the next kid, and if your child fails to report the bullying, it is like telling the bully that they have a free pass. So, even if it makes them feel like a tattle tell, or a baby, or whatever else, make sure they tell.

5. Help them develop a thicker skin. It is imperative that your child develops a thick skin if you want to prevent bullying. Bullies do so for reactions, so if your child bursts into tears or a fit anytime someone looks in their direction the wrong way it will be like a flashing light above their head telling people to bully them.