Bullying
Starting today we are going to highlight different kinds of childhood trauma. Many people have experienced trauma at some point in their lives but might not know how to pinpoint the event. The first topic of the series is bullying. Real, prolonged bullying can have a traumatic effect on people. This week we’re will discuss what bullying is, how to affects those that have been bullied and what we can do to prevent it.
Bullying Looks Like...
There are many ways that someone can get bullied. It can be virtual, verbal or virtual. These actions are on purpose and repetitive. Bullying can cause trauma which can have long lasting effects. Ideally we would like to prevent bullying from happening but this is not always possible. Giving your child the tools that they need to protect themselves and others is beneficial.
Signs of Bullying
Bullying can cause a person to exhibit negative emotions and feelings. These are a few of the issues that might arise if your child is being bullied or is even a bystander of someone else getting bullied. If your child has any of these symptoms you should try to talk to them about what making them feel this way. Most of these symptoms can be from many different mental health issues so it is important that you speak with your child and figure out what is bothering them.
Bullying Help
You may be wondering if there is anything your child can do to help prevent bullying. Speak to them about talking to the child that is doing the bullying and asking them to stop. This gives the child a chance to correct their behavior and teaches both kids how to solve conflict appropriately. Also let your child know that they should not encourage the person who is bullying by laughing or giving them any kind of positive reinforcement. This only fuels the child who is doing the bullying because he/she has an audience. If your child tries to end the bullying but is unsuccessful they should tell a trusted adult to help or take over the situation.