Coping with bullying is a reality for many teens today.
We all know what bullying is, not to mention what it may do to a teenager’s self-esteem. This kind of mental and physical abuse is simply intolerable and we must learn to take action against it and help teenagers who are coping with bullying.
Bullying is all about showing off and trying to impress apparently weaker people. Although bullying may be disguised as just innocent teasing, it’s usually meant to humiliate a person. There is simply no trace of affection when it comes to bullying.
If you are a parent, you should know that bullying may actually lead your child to feel extremely tense and afraid to go to school. Calling names, kicking, hitting, spreading rumors and teasing are likely to leave deep scars for a long time. So, if you feel that your child is bullied, take some action. Educate your teenager to deal with this abusive behavior.
Ways for teens to deal with coping with bullying.
Good advice is to just ignore the bully, walk right past the bully and go to the safest place around. Your child must understand that the lack of reaction is no fun for the bully. Another thing to do when coping with bullying is for your child to stand strong and simply refuse to take it from the bully.
Also, when teenagers are being bullied, they shouldn’t keep it a secret, and most of all, they shouldn’t take matters into their own hands. Usually, bullies are physically stronger than their targets, so it’s not a good idea to simply fight back, but try to look for smarter ways to deal with it.
Coping with bullying now includes cyber bullying.
A relatively new way of harassing people, cyber bullying, is becoming more and more frequent among teenagers. It is an extension of face-to-face bullying and today’s technology helps cyber bullies hide under the mask of anonymity. The cyber bully can send cruel and even threatening messages to their targets and not even know who the person is.
What parents can do.
As a parent, you should know what’s happening online. Don’t be intimidated by technology and sit down with your teenager and let them take you through sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. Learn to use modern technology as an opportunity to reinforce your family values. If you buy a cell phone or computer for your teenager, establish strict rules for their use and consequences if these rules are broken.
It’s best if you move the computer out of your child’s room and put into the living room. Keep reminding your child not to share passwords. Plus, install monitoring and filtering software – Know what you don’t know about what your kids are doing online
– and monitor your child’s screen name and websites for inappropriate content. If you find any disturbing facts, save and print out any evidence of your child being cyber bullied. Discuss the problem and decide together who you should go for further assistance.
Self esteem and self worth make a difference.
But the healthiest way to help teenagers coping with bullying is to build up their self-confidence, so that the teen does not reappear on the bully’s radar. Bullies are mostly cowards who will only pick on weaker people and a teenager with low self-esteem is likely to become their target.
Related Resources
Bullying and Cyber-Bullying EGuide
Report highlights serious nature of bullying
Is Bullying Getting Worse? Four Preventative Actions for Parents & Schools
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