Bullying has become a major problem affecting lots of children in our schools. The act of bullying takes many forms, it can be verbal which involves the use of mean words for example insults and name calling or even physical which involves acts such fighting , stealing and harassment.
The effects of bullying can be devastating to your child. It can lead to depression, humiliation, poor performance in school, insecure feelings, loneliness and in severe cases, a child may develop suicidal feelings. A child who is a victim of bullying may also develop anger issues ending up being bullies themselves.
What are the signs to look for when you suspect your child is being bullied? Here are some that might be helpful. It is important to take these signs seriously because children at times don’t open up about being bullied and prefer to suffer in silence.
- Physical Injuries
- Unexplained Loss of pocket money, books and other school items
- Frequent complaints of headaches ,stomachaches
- Not wanting to go to school or associate with others in school
- You child might start losing interest in going to school and give lame excuses out of fear of being bullied
- When your child is Losing friends
- Low self esteem
- A drop in academic performance
What if your child is not the victim? What if they are the culprits? Here are signs to watch out for if your child is a bully
- When your child gets into fights and often cause trouble in school.
- When they are always aggressive
- Having things from school which you didn’t buy for them
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If you find out that your child is being bullied or they are the bully, it is important that you talk to their teacher about it and talk to your child too. If your child is the victim, you should avoid encouraging them to avenge or fight back bullies but rather teach them how to deal with it in a non-violent way.
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