Understand the World of Bullying

I’m so glad to see that major media outlets are taking on the subject of ‘bullying’ --- although it is heartbreaking to think it has taken teen suicide to force this subject into our daily discussions.  Since most parents refuse to believe that their child could possibly be a bully, maybe we need a new word for this behavior.  The bully is someone’s child, so the question is who is willing to step up and ask the tough questions?

Bullying is defined as:  the willful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him/her under stress.  My belief is this is part of our overall problem.  Most parents of today’s youth do not see their child as a bully.  Ok, how about asking is your child kind to others?  Is your child conscious of how his/her actions affect others?  Is your teen confident?  Overweight?  Happy?   It is a lot of questions to ask, but kids that are confident, happy, healthy, and feel good when they head into school don’t typically have the extra time to focus on another student.  AND more importantly most kids do not bully with the thought of how their action affects the victim, they are focused on what it gives to them.  IF we are able to empower our teens to increase their self-esteem, this is what will be shared with others.

Recognizing that teens are self-focused, our first step is figuring out what a child is receiving from being bully.  It isn’t possible to expect our schools to make changes if families, parents, and friends aren’t willing to act first.  Get in touch with what your teen is going through and then you can be an active part of the change.  Whether your child is being bullied or the bully, either way we need to effectively make a change.