Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Your child may be a victim of bullying if he or she:
• Comes home from school with torn, damaged or missing clothing, books and/or belongings.
• Has unexplained injuries - bruises, cuts, scratches.
• Seems isolated from other children, doesn't have close friends and doesn't bring friends home or go to other kids' houses.
• Is fearful about attending school, riding the bus or walking to or from school.
• Takes a longer or unusual route to school.
• Asks for or takes money from family members.
• Has problems sleeping.
• Loses interest in school work or has a decline in grades or academic achievement.
• Appears anxious, depressed, unhappy, distressed or tearful when he or she comes home from school, or has unexplained mood shifts.
• Talks about or attempts suicide.
What should parents do?
• Take complaints of bullying seriously. Be educated about and sensitive to the issue.
• Encourage your child to share problems with you - reassure them that they are not tattling and that they won't have to face the problem alone.
• Praise your child for their accomplishments and differences - a confident child is less likely to be targeted.
• Help your child make friends.
• Encourage your child to participate in sports - physical exercise can result in better physical coordination and increase self-esteem.
• Talk with your child about strategies for dealing with the bully.
• Accompany your child to school if bullying happens on the way to school.
• Work with other parents to make your neighborhood safe.
• Contact the school to make sure your child is safe by finding out whether monitoring is adequate.
• Ask for a conference with school administrators and the bully's parents.
• Keep a detailed record of bullying episodes and communications with the school.
• Seek help from mental health professionals.
• Don't expect students to solve the problem themselves.
Your child may be a bully if he or she:
• Frequently hits, kicks, pushes or chokes other kids.
• Engages in name-calling, threats, taunts and otherwise verbally attacks other children.
• Intentionally excludes other kids.
• Is hot-tempered, impulsive, has low frustration tolerance.
• Has difficulty conforming to rules.
• Is defiant and aggressive toward adults and authority figures.
• Is good at talking himself or herself out of situations.
• Has average or better than average self-esteem.
• Is likely to be popular.
• Has a negative attitude toward school, including lower grades.
What should parents do?
• Make it clear to your child that you take bullying seriously and will not tolerate such behavior.
• Develop a consistent family rules system, using non-hostile negative consequences when rules are broken.
• Set a good example for your child. If children see aggressive behavior, they are more likely to act aggressively toward other kids.
• Spend more time with your child, get to know their friends, monitor and supervise their activities, know where they spend their free time and what they do there.
• Maintain contact with your child's school and support the school's efforts to modify your child's behavior.
• Seek help from a mental health professional.
