Most Americans do not take bullying seriously. Sadly, school personnel don’t take it seriously either. One of the most common myths about bullying is that it is “habitual” and “everybody does it.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Children with special needs may become the victim of a bully. If your child has been, or is, being victimized, he or she feels alone, unsafe and may even feel the persecution is justified. The things of bullying impression mental and physical shape and literary performance, evenly for many years after the actual incidents occur.
Who is a bully and what is bullying
Only about 15 to 20 percent of children are ever involved in bullying, either as a victim or as the bullying child. Bullies are children who have not urban the typical internal restraint system that other children have. Male bullies tend to favor physical aggression, while female bullies tend to strike at a victims’ social standing and friendships.
Bullies start their pattern of aggressive behavior at an early age, and take up again the pattern of intimidation for many years. A well-known Norwegian psychologist who pioneered the study of bullying and how to stop it, Dr. Dan Olweus, identified three basic elements of bullying—bullying involves: 1) a pattern of aggressive behavior, 2) from a child in a spot of power directed towards a child in a weaker spot, 3) with the intention to do harm.
Why does a child become the victim of a bully
Up until about age seven bullies pick on anyone. Between the ages of eight and 16, bullies target specific kids. Those who become targets are more sensitive, alert, and silent than other kids, and more nervous. They also have a negative view of violence, withdrawing from confrontations of any kind and crying when threatened or attacked. When confronted, they are gripped with dread.
The effect of bullying on a child can be loneliness, poor shape, depression, anxiety and poor learning
Being bullied leads to feeling nervous which then increases the child’s vulnerability to further persecution because bullies single out nervous kids. The difficulty victims have in sticking up for themselves seems to make other kids uncomfortable, and gradually, victims of bullying are rejected by their peers and become increasingly isolated and lonely. Research shows that social isolation and rejection produce severe stress.
Children being bullied dread going to school and have stress-induced illnesses such as stomachaches, and headaches. Even after the bullying ends, children who have been bullied are prone to depression and negative self-concept.
It is becoming more clear that children who are victimized have had limited practice in handling conflict. Children need to be given opportunity to solve their own problems. Over-defending parenting can erode a child’s critical problem-solving skills. But, overly strict discipline techniques have the same effect because they limit a child’s chances to learn how to interact and deal with disagreements and conflict.
How to Handle a Bully
Most of the following tips come from an article in print in Psychology Today by Hara Estroff Marano.
What Children Can Do:
What Parents Can Do:
Posts Tagged ‘Parents’
Parents Must Act If Their Child Is Being Bullied
Monday, July 12th, 2010Looking for a Parenting Article for Homosexual Parents
Thursday, June 24th, 2010There is no denying that homosexual parenthood is now a valid personal choice. Along with the increasing acceptance for homosexuality comes the increasing acceptance for homosexual parenthood. It cannot be denied but that homosexual parenthood still has a tremendous share of challenges. Homosexual parents may be in need of a excellent parenting article to help them through. The fact is, the practical parenting article for homosexual parents is not that simple to come across. This is because the common parenting article for same sex parents may involve in varying degrees a history of homosexuality, current views on homosexuality and experiential financial statement. What is a parenting article for homosexual parents trying to tell us?
While a excellent parenting article should include some practical tips, a parenting article for homosexual parents should also include a lot of other things. This is because a parenting article for homosexual parents should also show the reality of how homosexuality is accepted in today’s society. Yes, your parenting article may tell you that many people are now accepting homosexuality and same sex parenthood as a valid way of life. On the other hand each and every parenting article for homosexual parents also tells you that homosexuality is still very much a controversial issue.
Your typical parenting article will tell you for example that among some higher ranking government officials, the concept of same sex marriage and parenthood is still not accepted. Your parenting article will also tell you that many other religious institutions, social groups and individuals merely diplomatically couch their words of disagreement and criticism. You will also be told that bullying in schools of children of same sex parents is still very much a reality. Why do homosexual parents need to know about all this?
A parenting article for homosexual parents should be able to inform parents of the present truths about homosexuality and how children of homosexual parents are really treated. Such knowledge can better prepare homosexual parents for the unique challenges of homosexual parenthood. How can kids for example be taught confidence if they are derided in school? How can you expect your child to accept and know your chosen way of life if his outside social environment is telling him not to?
A excellent parenting article therefore for homosexual parents should look into realities first previous to anything else to educate same sex parents. On a more positive light, a parenting article may also show the actual optimistic truths about homosexual parenthood. Reading in a parenting article about the excellent aspects of homosexual parenthood is both encouraging for homosexual parents and a way for them to educate their children about their family situation.
It is for example positively enlightening to know that according to studies, same sex parents are also capable of rearing healthy, habitual and socially functional children. Many children of homosexuals are also able to develop meaningful relationships with people around them. Articles for homosexual parents should therefore invariably educate and encourage. Parenting articles for homosexual parents show the uncolored truth about homosexual parenthood, with all its parental joys and challenges.