There are some aspects which parents need to know when it comes to having to protect their child from getting bullied and prevent them from bullying others as well. While this is considered to be an evil which has no end and can thus not be eradicated completely, control can be taken and actions can be taken against the perpetrator. Teaching your children about controlling their behavior and their response to bullying is one way to start and if this is done correctly, further problems can be averted.
A child’s ego is very fragile when he is getting bullied due to relentless and cruel taunting. At such times, they need validation thus if your child is telling you they are being bullied online or at school, make sure that you don’t laugh it off or think of it as something small. This will make your child feel lost and abandoned thus you need to make sure to listen to your children not only with your ears but with your body language as well. To seem tough, sometimes children don’t state the severity of the problem but their body language too will give them away so you as a parent need to pay attention.
You should also make sure that you keep your feelings out of the situation especially if you yourself were bullied as a child. Make sure that you do not let your personal feelings and experiences cloud your judgment regarding what is best for your child. Overreacting in the initial stages might stop your child from telling you anything that may be upsetting him, so while it may be difficult to listen to your children talk about getting bullied, make sure you don’t let your personal feelings come in the way. Don’t vent against the bully or his family and don’t try sorting out the situation on your own by confronting him; this will only make matters worse.
If you get to know that the bullying was being done in school you can easily speak to the teacher and administration in the school and ask them to take the appropriate steps as well. However, bullying is something which can occur throughout life thus instead of constantly protecting your child or coming to their rescue, make them more resilient by teaching them how passive aggressive responses can do wonders in such situations. Bullying thrives based on the response of the victim and by not giving the bully the response he is looking for; he will stop engaging in such acts because he would have lost power over the victim.
These were some of the ways and things through which you can protect your child from getting bullied. If your parental instincts are telling you that your child needs to be protected then go for it because these situations can vary. You can be the best judge of what your child needs which is why you need to be extra vigilant at all times and that should keep your child safe.
