How to deal with bullying

Bullying is a major problem facing schools today, but it is our job as the counsellor to help you, the parent, understand and know what to do and how to react when your child has been bullied. It is natural to be concerned for your childs safety, it is a parental instinct to want to protect your child. There are ways to help your child cope with being bullied. Educating them with what a bully is and what a bully does is one step. You can find out what a bully is here.

Ways to deal with bullies

A bully wants you to get angry. He may even want you to fight with him. Try walking away from the bully. If he still bothers you, tell him firmly to leave you alone.

If this doesn't work, tell a grown up. The grown up may be able to help the bully understand why he acts the way he does. Then the bully will be able to change his behaviour.

How to stop being a bully

Do you ever bully other people?Do you feel powerful when you hurt or scare someone who is smaller than you? If you do, think about why you do it.
Maybe someone is bullying you. Maybe you're not happy with yourself. Maybe you are scared others might not like you. If you are a bully, try talking to a grown up about why you are a bully. That grown up may be able to help you find other ways to feel good about yourself. You'll find it's a lot more fun to be friends with someone then to bully them.

Helping someone else

If you see a bully giving someone a hard time, try to help. Don't try to fight the bully. But stand behind the person being bullied. There is strength in numbers. A bully is most comfortable when he is confronting one person. Bullies only fight when there is no chance they will get hurt. When there is more than one person, even if you are both smaller, the bully will most likely back off. You can also help by calling over an adult, such as a parent or teacher.

Helping a Bully

The next step is to try to help the bully. If a person has been a bully for a long time, they probably don't have many friends. Chances are no one has said a nice thing to them for a long time.
Being kind to a former bully will make them feel better about themselves. Show them that you will be their friend if they stop being mean. Bullies are just like everyone else. They want to be liked and accepted too.