Any way another issue that parents have talked to me about is how to tell if their child is the one who is doing the bullying. This is not an easy pill for any parent to swollow. To help identify those behaviors that may indicate a problem, here is a quick artical that I found. Hope it is helpful and we will see you in class!
If you
suspect that your child is a bully, you should take steps to ensure that they
do not harm others or start a habit of ridiculing people that will stick with
them for the rest of their lives. Bullying can have serious consequences for
children, including the bully. Children who bully are much more likely to get
involved with drugs and crime later in life as well as have poor interpersonal
skills. This is why it is important to stop them if they are bullies, not to
mention all the damage they can do to other children.
If you
think your child is a bully, there are some questions you can ask to determine
if they really are, and behaviors you should look out for. If you know that
your child has repeatedly hit, pushed, or otherwise hurt another child, this is
a sign that they may be a bully. Not all children will exhibit this behavior in
front of a adult or even admit to it, but habitually hurting others is a big
bullying warning sign. If your child has ever ganged up with another child to
hurt someone or asked their friends to hurt another person they may also be a
bully.
If you
have seen your child spread rumors about another child either when talking to a
friend or through a note, email, or IM, then they may be a bully. Emotionally
hurting other children is another common way that children bully one and other
and is just as serious. If your child is a bully, they will use these methods
to humiliate other children. Bullies will also exclude others from play and
other activities to bully them so if you think your child is a bully watch for
this behavior.
Good
natured teasing does occur between children and chances are you will hear your
child teasing their friends at one point or another. Teasing another child if
it is unwanted or hurtful, indicates bullying. If you think your child is a
bully, this teasing will not be good natured and between friends. It will be
frequent and directed at children that they are not friends with. If you see
your child doing this behavior make sure you let then know that it is not
acceptable, and that it is not funny and will not help them to make healthy
friends. Many times a bully does not understand the consequences of their actions
and needs help understanding what can happen.
If you
notice that close friends of your child partake in this type of behavior, it
does not always mean your child is a bully but they may act along with their
friends. It is common for a child to bully others because their friends do it,
and even though they are not the one who initiates the bullying, they can
suffer just the same. If you notice this type of behavior in either your child
or their friends, make sure they know that bullying is not acceptable.
