by Suzanne Fort

Created on: May 12, 2009   Last Updated: May 20, 2009

Bullying means that someone hurts or intimidates another person and the person being bullied doesn't do much to defend himself. Bullying can be physical, like punching or kicking. Bullying can be spreading horrible rumors about others. Bullying can be teasing someone. Bullying can be getting others to go against a certain person. Now bullying can mean online intimidation as well. Cyberbullying is harder to detect by adults, but it could be through texts, emails, instant messages, posting bad information about others on websites or blogs, or using fake user names to spread rumors about others.

Regardless of what your child's school administration and teachers tell you, bullying is still an issue that children face today.Being bullied has many harmful effects. Sometimes being bullied by another child causes the bullied child to be so scared that they don't go to school. Bullying definitely effects the self-esteem of the child being bullied. Parents can teach their children to fight back, talk to school staff, talk to them, etc. if they are getting bullied.

Parents can go above and beyond having their children talk to the school staff. If the staff are not doing what they need to do in order to be sure your child is safe, parents need to get involved in the school as well as the parents of the child who is being a bully. Sometimes legal action may be required if talking to staff and the bullying child's parents don't work. Legal action should be pursued no matter what if physical or sexual abuse is caused by a bully. School should always be a place where any child feels safe.

Being a bully has negative effects as well. Studies have shown that people who bully end up dropping out of school more frequently, get into fights, vandalize property, smoke, etc. Parents can prevent bullying by starting in their own home at a young age. Parents can approach the subject with their children when they see their child fighting with siblings, other children, or hurting animals. Parents can teach their children how to be kind and respectful. Parents can teach their children that bullying is never acceptable in their home or anywhere else.

School and community programs can help children stop bullying. There are programs such as Second Step that let children role play ways to control their anger, as well as ways to use your words if you are the one being bullied by another student. Counseling programs can help the bully reform and the child being bullied fight back in a safe way.

The school, community, parents, etc. can't turn their heads to bullying. It's something that is effecting the future children in the world. We need to raise strong, healthy, respectful children. The future is in their hands. If there is not a policy on bullying in your child's school, the adults in the community need to band together and get one in action.

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