Bullying is a major issue nowadays. Many schools have adopted the restorative approach, which has the bully and the student being bullied sitting in a room, discussing their issues. Neither one can leave the room if there is no resolution. If you see any of the following signs of bullying, report them to the appropriate people. If you do not, you will become a part of the bullying problem.
1. Scars:
2. Isolation:
When a child is bullied, they don’t feel the need to talk to anyone but themselves. They can stay in their room for hours and hours without realizing that they are alone. The child may neglect their own friends and not make any new ones. If you ask them why they don’t have any friends, they may say, “Because I don’t need any friends.” The child may also be isolated from their family as well. In this situation, a pet such as a cat or a dog may be useful. The pet may be the only friend the child can really confide too.
3. Anger:
In times of bullying, a child may feel angry all the time. A child would never smile and would get angry at the smallest of things, such as their mother asking if they want food. The child may come home from school and without even a “Hi, how are you?” storm to their room.
4. Slipping Grades:
Children who are bullied often do not care about school work. They avoid it because even when they are in class, they think about the time they are abused, physically or emotionally. At home, they cry and therefore, have no time to open any books and notebooks. They never listen to what a teacher has to say in class. Make sure you always know how your child is doing at school, once every 2 months at the most, because a lot could happen in those two months.
5. Denial:
Children often deny they are being bullied. Reason may be that they are embarrassed because they can’t take care of the situation themselves, or they feel it will go away by itself. Even if you have your child talk to a social worker, they may not say anything to them, especially if you are in the room with them. Make sure you talk to your child’s teachers and classmates to ask whether they see there is something different about your child’s behavior, and whether they think someone is hurting your child.
6. Refusal:
Bullied children may be afraid to go to school because of fear of the bullies. Children may make every excuse not to go to school, such as being sick. As a parent, you should keep in contact with the principle of the school, teachers, and social workers regarding how your child is doing at school.
7. Losing Appetite:
Children sometimes do not want to eat at times of bullying, especially girls. If someone tells a girl she is fat, she is not going to eat. She is going to do anything possible to make herself lose weight to make herself look “beautiful.” You need to make sure you notice when your son or daughter stops eating or eats too much and then goes to the bathroom, because this could be signs of anorexia or bulimia.
8. Spending Too Much Time in the Washroom:
A child’s safe place is the washroom. That’s where the child can cry their hearts out, or worse, do something to him or herself. If you see your child spend too much time in the washroom, check up on them. If they spend more than 20 minutes there, you know something is not right. This may be their “cry for help”.
9. Change in routine:
If you see your child’s duties during the day change, that’s not a good sign. If they eat at different times, read at different times, etc. If they lose interest in the activities, such as tennis, singing, and swimming, they once enjoyed, it may be a sign of trouble.
10. Spending Too Much Time on the Computer
Cyber bullying is now one of the main bullying type children use to bully. The internet is a machine and social media like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter can be dangerous for your child. Someone could say mean things about your child that could hurt them online, they could pretend they are someone else, they could even send a picture of your child to a porn site. Make sure you limit the amount of time your child spends on the computer. Make sure you check which sites they use and who they talk to. Most of all, make sure they don’t use any social media sites until they are mature enough and are able to use it wisely.
*all based on own experience.*
Leave a Reply