by Eva Clark

Created on: May 13, 2009   Last Updated: June 03, 2009

Bullying behavior

Bullying remains an age old problem because many children are afraid to tell authority figures, for fear of retributions from the bully. Also, adults are not always present when the bullying takes place, resulting in little or no intervention from bystanders. In the worst case scenario, some of the supervising adults may model bullying behavior themselves.

Bullying is a problem that affects every child, inclusive of the one who is doing the bullying, the child being bullied, and even the child who witnesses this violence. With cyber bullying on the rise, it is reported that approximately one out of every three children are bullied somewhere. Children are now at risk for being bullied at school, in their neighborhoods, or online. It is also said that one out of every three children is the bully. Social aggression is a behavior that just may be a learned one, and not so much attributable to physical aggression, as was previously thought. With this in mind, perhaps this bullying behavior can be unlearned. Something has to be done because bullying hurts everyone. The victim may suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, just to name a few ailments. Bullies usually are dead ringers for a life of violence and crime. Bullying is too detrimental to all involved, not to mention society at large. It has to stop.

Why do children bully? It is a way to feel power over other children. It is a way, sometimes, to gain attention, then popularity. Usually the child bully has witnessed bullying behavior by the parent(s), which, wonder of wonders, is the number one reason. Other reasons include being the victim of an older brother's bullying, hanging out with bullying peers who reinforce violent behavior, and the awful fact that the bully is rewarded for negative behavior through the increased status the bully attains amongst certain peer groups. No matter the causes, bullying would not happen at school if schools did not allow it. Make no mistake, the schools are responsible for stopping bullying. There should be clear policies that state zero tolerance for bullying of any sort.

All students have a right to a safe school environment, and most educators work toward fulfilling this right, but sometimes things can slip through the crack. It is then up to parents to assist the school in the development of bullying policies, and to see to it that these policies are respected and carried out. Parents can involve teachers, counselors, social workers, principals and even superintendents of schools, to assure that there is no bullying going on at their child's school. Children should have the assurance of knowing that when bullying starts, it will be stopped.

Source: Education.com

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