Hi all,
I recently found this article thanks to a post from @Beatbullying on Twitter, and thought I would share it with everyone, as it is essential knowledge.
One of the major issues with bullying is, aside of course from the bullying itself, the fact that many parents can find it difficult to tell if their child is being bullied in the first place, as it is perhaps not discussed enough.
On the article, found at http://ronald-williams-garcia.suite101.com/increasing-your-childs-ability-to-cope-with-school-bullying-a392456, there is much advice on what kinds of symptoms to look out for if you suspect your child may be a victim at school or anywhere else for that matter. Rising above it all in my opinion is the following piece of advice for parents:
In addition to being observers, parents must develop good communication with their children. There should be daily time set aside to discuss the child’s experience in school or school related activities. These should be free talks more from a peer to peer dynamic. Parents should not present themselves as investigators but rather interested listeners to their children. When children discuss their feelings or concerns this is not a time to demean or criticize. It is a time to be empathetic and reflective on what the child is expressing. All of this requires, of course, that the parent learn to be ACTIVE LISTENERS!!!
This is not just advisable for parents to listen to however – the same applies for siblings, grandparents and friends – if you have a friend who shows signs of bullying, don’t feel awkward in asking if they’re ok! The only way bullying can be effectively combated is if people work together, and this has to happen across the world in every scale. Talk to the new kid; invite them to eat with you. Make an effort to be nice to people, and it’ll pay off. Beating bullying isn’t all about smashing attackers with hammer fists and elbow strikes, or about locking them up and throwing them to the floor – it’s about stopping it happening in the first place. Make the bullies the minority, and make sure everyone knows about it. As Mahatma Gandhi said:
‘You must be the change you want to see in the world.’
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Image courtesy of http://nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/images/bullying_child.jpg
Evolutionary Self-Protection 
Awesome article, thanks for that
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Glad you like it my friend. More is on its way…
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Excellent article, I couldnt agree more. Do you plan on writing a follow up
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I’m glad you enjoyed it my friend! It’s a theme that will continue to keep coming up so I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of follow-up articles to come. Bullying’s a key issue I want to deal with, so you can expect it to come up a lot. If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to join our forum (link in the top buttons) and discuss with me, other instructors, CSPS members and non-members alike.
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