How to protect your child from bullying?

          

Wondering how to protect your child from bullying? Bullying is a worldwide problem. It means exploiting anyone on the financial basis, social basis, emotional basis or cultural basis.

 Bullying can be categorised into:

• Physical bullying 
• Verbal bullying 
• Cyber bullying  

Bullying is the use of physical power on a weak child by a strong child or person. It can be slapping, it can be kicking, stealing, pushing, insulting etc. So, this comes under physical bullying.

Making insulting remarks on someone’s appearance, someone’s economic status or cultural status is Verbal bullying.

Cyber bullying is the use of technology, emails, social media and messages to destroy someone’s reputation.

                   

Now-a-days, due to lot many factors like the presence of extreme social media, lot of children are encountering bulling in their daily life. While some children can face this situation with lot of confidence and fight back, while others can just silently listen and become a victim.  

This specially happens with introvert children. Victims feel themselves as “failures”. Many a times, they may need therapies and treatments to overcome the effects of bullying.

So, we can say that bullying can effect physically, mentally and emotionally. Some victims are impacted so much that they sometimes get indulged in wrongful activities with bad companies in the form of alcohol and drugs etc.

So the question is, what are the signs of bullying in children?

• Lack of sleep and changes in eating pattern. In some children, gastric issues can be noticed as a passive effect.

• No concentration in studies and hence, reduced academic achievement.

• Loneliness and sadness

• Lack of self-esteem and motivation

• Change in child’s behaviour in the form of anxiety and depression.

• Aggressive behaviour can also be a result of bulling.  

So it is very important to address this issue as it can have long term effects on the child behaviour. 

• If you see any signs of bullying in your child, address the same issue to school authorities. School authorities should take strict and effective measures to curb bullying.

• School authorities should conduct the role plays on this topic as it helps in teaching how to deal with the situation and prevent bullying.

• Always inform the parents of the offender. They need to be counselled by their parents so that they can understand the plight of victims.

• There should be an open communication between kids and parents to prevent potential bullying situation.

• Last but not the least, always praise your child’s progress to inculcate self-esteem in him or her which will lead to prevention of bullying.

Bullying is not ok. So, speak up!