It’s not ok to be bullied
Should you be approached by someone who is being bullied or informed of someone is a victim, approach them with open arms and offer support.
When one becomes a victim of bullying, they are perceived as vulnerable as others seek to harm and or intimidate them.
Bullying takes place in many forms, but there are four common types of bullying, this being verbal, physical, relational and cyberbullying.
• Verbal bullying – This type of bullying is mainly with cruel words being spoken to another. It involves continuous name-calling, threatening and making disrespectful and or hurtful comments about the victim’s appearance, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation etcetera
If you know of someone who may be a victim, there are some telltale signs. They may become moody quite frequently, isolate themselves or have a change in appetite. In some cases, the victim might repeat what was said to them to another person and question if what was said was true.
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Should your child be a victim of this type of bullying, through your own behaviour, reinforce how everyone deserves to be treated well. Thank teachers, praise friends, be kind to store employees. Stress self-respect, and help your child to appreciate their strengths.
• Physical bullying – This is bullying with aggressive physical intimidation and involves repeated hitting, kicking, tripping, blocking, pushing, and touching in unwanted and inappropriate ways.
In most cases, a bullied child will not tell others that they are being physically bullied. Signs showing this could be scratches, bruises, cuts, missing or damaged clothes and property or even frequent complaints of body pains.
If you suspect that a child is being physically bullied, make conversation to learn more about the situation. Ask what’s going on at school, during lunch or on the way home. Based on the responses, ask if anyone’s been mean to him or her. Explain the importance of being open or having good communication with loved ones and teachers. Should the matter become worse over time, do not hesitate to contact your local police services.
• Relational bullying – This is bullying with exclusionary tactics and involves deliberately preventing someone from joining or being part of a group, whether it’s at a lunch table at school, game, sport, or social activity. If someone is being bullied in this form, look out for mood changes, withdrawal from peer groups and the victim often isolating themselves. When it comes to this type of bullying, girls are more likely to experience social exclusion, nonverbal, or emotional intimidation.
To understand the situation and hopefully resolve it, help the victim feel happy and positive at all times and ensure that they know there are people out there who love and care about them as they are. Focus on developing their talents and interests in music, arts, athletics, reading, and after-school activities so that they’re able to build relationships outside of school.
• Cyberbullying – This type of bullying is done in cyberspace and involves criticizing someone by spreading nasty words, lies, and false rumoursvia e-mails, text messages, and social media posts which is the most common form of communication nowadays.
If you know of someone that spends a lot of their time online or is a social media addict, and overtime appears to be sad and anxious afterward, this could be a sign of cyberbullying. Also, take note if the victim begins shying away from the world prefers staying at home.
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Should you be approached by someone who is being bullied or informed of someone that’s a victim, approach them with open arms and offer support. Gather as much information as you can about the situation and try to help.
Source: Suzanne Peck – Parents.com
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