Parents Helping to Prevent Bullying

Bully prevention can occur at all levels. There are system wide programs that an entire school system can adopt. There are school wide programs designed to prevent and intervene when bullying occurs. Teacher awareness and prevention techniques can be employed. There are programs that focus on working individually with the bully and the victim.

Bullying makes kids feel helpless and at times it can make parents of bullied kids feel helpless. Children who are bullied may feel scared, lonely, depressed, or angry. These are not emotions that we as parents want to see in our children. Prevention is more powerful than intervention. However, once bullying has begun, intervention needs to be immediate.


What Can Parents Do to Prevent Their Child from Bullying?

Children who have confidence and strategies to deal with bullies are less likely to be bullied. Here is a good article I found for parents called How Can Parents Help to Prevent Bullying At Their School. It demonstrates that parents can help prevent bullying before it begins. Parents who are aware of what is happening with their child can help give strategies and allows an open communication from child to parent. Additionally, it paves the way for discussions on how children can stand up to bullies and prevent something more serious.

What can a parent do when their child is already bullied?

Parents often do not know what to do, or act in ways that are not really helpful in the long run when they find out their child is being bullied. Parents are protective of their children and can act out of anger when someone hurts the one they love so much. Often parents don't begin to research ways to help bullying until after it has occurred and sometimes after it has escalated. Here is an article on bullying that gives good advice for parents when faced with bullying.

My favorite site on this topic, that I am aware of is for kids. Pacer Kids Against Bullying is kid friendly, easy to navigate, and demonstrate positive prevention and intervention techniques.