Cyber Bullying & School Bullying

Is bullying becoming an epidemic?

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:55:05 +0000

If you pay attention to the news on bullying, it seems like it’s getting worse every day. In work places, in schools, after school programs, on school buses… Statistics show that about one in seven students in kindergarten through 12th grade is either a bully or a victim of bullying. Children are growing more aggressive and so are parents. At least it seems that way. Many adults have been bully victims at work. Is it really that bullying is spreading like wild fire, or is it that we’re more aware of it now that we can identify it more.

The same situation is happening with autism. Are more children becoming autistic, or just more children are being diagnosed? I’m sure there used to autistic children decades ago. They were just being called slow or other names. Are children becoming more aggressive in school? While actions are being taken to prevent and stop bullying, have we been really focusing on the root of the problems? We can take every caution to prevent our children from becoming bullying victims or bullies, but we can’t be there 24/7, are there other causes that cause children to become bullies? Such as toxin in the environment? Diet? life at home? Toxin at home that’s affecting children’s mental behavior?

Bullying continues into Adulthood

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:12:23 +0000

Most people think only teens and children can become bully victims, once people become adults, they no longer have to worry about becoming a victim. In fact, adults can become bullies and victims. Adult bullying is quite common. It exists in the communities, at workplace, in retirement centers, and even in nursing homes. Many workers have complained about being bullied at work on a weekly basis. If you have a horrible boss that you want to quit your job every morning when you wake up, or everyday is becoming the worst day of your working life, take a look at your workplace. You’re most likely being bullied.

The childhood bullying style will not change as bullies grow into adulthood. They will be aggressive, they will criticize, abuse their power, repeat insults, and show aggressive behaviors. You must understand that no one deserves to be bullied. Document everything and every move at work, get witnesses, and seek help from authorities. If everything fails, you always can find another job.

How to prevent bullying from happening to your child

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:35:11 +0000

There’s no 100% bullying proof method to prevent your child from being bullied. However, there are things parents can do to minimize the possibility. Number one, as a parent, you need to help your child understand bullying. Talk to your child and explain what bullying is and what it does. After the initial conversation, keep communicating with your child. Be informed of activities in schools.

Number two, help your child to develop many interests to encourage positive friends making. Get involved in after school activities and see your child making new friends. Number three, teach your child to stand up against bullying in school if he or she sees it happening in school. Teach your child how to notify teachers and counselors. Lastly, get involved in school as a parent and get to know other parents. Make friends with other parents so you can be sure to be informed when things happen in school.

Paying Attention to Your Child’s Violent Behaviors Prevents Bullying

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:45:11 +0000

Most parents can detect if there’s something wrong with their children’s behavior if the children are being bullied in school. What about if their child is bullying others? While parents do not want their children to be bullying victims, no one wants their child to become a bully either. It causes just as much damage to the child’s development as being a victim. There are signs if the child is bullying others in school. Parents just need to know how to detect.

If your child is showing violent behavior towards you, his or her siblings, or family pets, it’s time to take action. While this is probably the most obvious sign, most bullying starts earlier. Has your child got into physical or verbal fights with others? Has your child got sent to the principal’s office or detention a lot? If you child comes home with extra money or new belongings that cannot be explained, there usually is something going on in your child’s life that you need to look into.

There are also earlier signs such as the child is quick to blame others, or will not accept responsibility for his or her actions. Or even has a strong needs to win or be best at everything. While most parents would be proud if their child wants to be the best at everything, there could be an underlying issue that could lead to aggressive behaviors.

Preventing bullying is never easy nor simple. Whether the child is a bully or a victim, parents need to start paying attention to the signs as early as possible.

Source: StopBullying.gov

Some problems associated with bullying can last until adulthood

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:55:52 +0000

Bullying can have lasting effects on the victims. It not only can hurt someone’s feelings, it can have other more serious effects. Some problems can even last until adulthood. Recent study has found that bullying can hurt people both emotionally and physically to someone who bullies and the victim. The lasting effects include sadness, hurt feelings, loneliness, depression, poor body image, and low self-esteem which can lead to eating disorders. Other serious effects include poor grades, and headaches, stomach aches, and anxiety.

Many teens can experience the thoughts of suicide in very bad case. Teachers and parents must pay attention to the above signs and take actions to stop further bullying.

Teach your children that spreading rumors is a form of bullying

admin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:21:48 +0000

Many times children bully others without knowing that they’re bullying. Parents need to communicate with their kids about what’s considered bullying and what’s not. Spreading rumors, name-calling, excluding others, and embarrassing them are all forms of social bullying that can cause serious and lasting harm.

Even adults might not be able to draw a clear line between bullying and teasing. The best way to prevent your children from bullying others is through open communication. Take notes of their unusual behaviors and relationship with friends and classmates at school. Talk to your kids about school, their friends, activities often can inform you what’s going on in their lives. If you notice any form of bullying, stop it from the very start.

If the bullying gets worse you need professional help

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:06:03 +0000

There are many ways you can prevent and stop bullying from the start, but there are also times that the bullying gets worse. If you’re the parent and you notice worse symptoms, you need to take actions immediately. But if you’re the victim, it’s hard to initiate asking for help. Just remember, you don’t fight bullying on your own, there are many agencies out there to help.

If someone is at immediate risk of harm because of bullying, call the police.
Your child is feeling suicidal because of bullying, call at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
If your child’s teacher is not keeping your child safe from being bullied, contact the principal or superintendent
If your school is not keeping your child safe from being bullied, contact the State School Department
If your child is sick, stressed, not sleeping, or is having other problems because of bullying, contact a counselor
Your child is bullied because of their race, ethnicity, or disability and local help is not working to solve the problem, contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Office on Civil Rights

Source: StopBullying.gov

Being a bully can hurt other people and yourself

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:23:48 +0000

Many children who bully are in need of help from the school and parents. Many children experience domestic problems at home and they might not realize that they need help. Some of them develop aggressive behaviors over time. Did you know that being a bully can also cause you serious problems? Young women who bully are more likely to drop out of school, have poor grades, use drugs, and shoplift. Bullies are more likely to get in trouble, especially when they are caught bullying others. Would you want to always get in trouble, have bad grades, and hurt other people? Probably not! If you’re still not convinced that bullying is bad, keep reading to learn more interesting facts.

Childhood bullies are much more likely to commit a crime by age 24
Often, childhood bullies are violent when they are older
Bullies take part in many bad things, such as drug and alcohol use, and smoking
Childhood bullies may not change and may be bullies as adults
Bullies are more likely to get into fights and steal

Source: the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

What girls should do if they’re being bullied in school

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:11:31 +0000

Anyone can be a victim of bulling. Girls are more likely to be bullied in school. If you think you’re being bullied, don’t just let it happen. You’re a good person and you don’t make anyone mad, at least not on purpose. Here are tips on what you can do if you are being bullied:

Tell an adult. Many young women fear telling an adult because they don’t want to look like a snitch or seem weak. However, adults can help end the bullying. Also, it may make you feel better to tell an adult. Tell your parents, teacher, or school counselors.
Stand up for yourself. Believe it or not, this will help you gain respect from others. Practice what you might say to a bully with a friend, your mirror, or an adult. Practice saying it in a firm, confident voice. You’ll be surprised that you can even encourage others to protect themselves from bullying, too.
Tell the bully to stop. Calmly walk away. Believe in yourself and tell others how you feel and what you think. You will gain respect from others. Also, by leading the way and showing others that you can’t be bullied, you can help prevent bullying in the future. You can also encourage others to protect themselves from bullying.
Make new friends. Make many friends and get involved in activities which will keep you busy and feel positive about yourself.

Source: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A few things that parents should not do if their children are being bullied

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:23:21 +0000

If you suspect that your children are being bullied in school, there are things that you should not do. Not to tell your children to ignore the bullying. You need to listen and gather more information from your children. Ignoring it will simply make it more serious. And secondly, never blame your children for provoking the bullying. Don’t encourage your children to fight back by harming the person who bullies them. Doing so could get them suspended or expelled from school.

You might attempt to contact the parents of the bullies, but don’t. Doing so could make the matter worse. Contact the school officials instead. Let them handle the situation with the parents. Schools usually will not reveal the result of such contact to you, don’t demand a solution right away. When you don’t hear an exact result from the school, it doesn’t mean that actions were not taken.

Source: stopbullying.gov