A Lesson for Bullies

There are no simple solutions to bullying but there is a simple way to discuss this issue with children when it comes to school yard and cyber bullying.  It is a very short conversation and should be a conversation conducted by parents of those who are accused bullying.

According to Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program book titled Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do: "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.  Bullying can take on many forms.  Students who intentionally bully others should be held accountable for their actions.”   Part of this article also reported that “statistics show that 23 percent of students in grades 4-6 had been bullied "several times" or more; 20 percent had bullied others, 17 percent of students in grades 6-10 reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more, with 8 percent being bullied once a week.”

What parents need to do if they are informed that their child has been tagged as a bully should do is take a few minutes to sit that child down and say these words.  We all need to show everyone a little compassion and respect because what you have been accused of doing is not long before these actions come back and the expected result will never be a good thing.  Those who are bullied will finally find their voice and it may end in violence which does not have to happen and you can be the hero that stops it.  Make sure your child understands that there is a difference between being a hero and being a zero. 

There are also other effects that bullying has which are seldom, if ever, covered.  As bullies mature they may continue pushing people around and when they finally reach adulthood, the practice is more of a habit and even harder to stop.  The biggest downfall during this situation is that most adults that are now being bullied will strike back at that adult bully and may be others who they see that fit this same mode much faster than a child will.  We can stop this just by telling them that they have a choice, they can either show the proper respect or prepare themselves to expect.