What you can teach your kids to reduce their risk of being bullied
Parents know how hard it is for children to get over bullying and the huge impact it has on their lives however, what most parents don’t know is that there are long term effects attributed to bullying. In the short-term kids may be upset, scared, frightened and angry but if bullying is a continuous issue it can have bigger implications for a child who is the victim. Depending on your child some can brush themselves off and continue as normal as possible after bullying for others it isn’t as easy. It is also good to note that children who are doing the bullying will also feel the effects of their bullying, they may feel upset too and disappointed in themselves. They may get in trouble for their actions and rightly so but they can become isolated and hurt. Some bullies will be outcast by their friends and parents who know of their bullying may tell their kid’s to not play with this child. Bullies can redeem themselves but sometimes they are unable to due to no fault of their own. Here is some information on the long-term effects of bullying and how raising children who are aware of bullying may mean this problem will hopefully not be an issue in the future.
Long term effects of bullying are as follows.
- Depression is common in young kids who feel worthless due to constant bullying
- Anxiety derives from fear and if a child is being bullied they may be terrified of their bully causing long term anxiety that may take months to fully recover from.
- Change in sleep patterns is a major sign that your child is under stress and some kids may get night terrors, begin bed-wetting or be unable to sleep at all
- Loss of interest in things they once loved as they will inadequate and guilty for the bullying they suffered. If their friends are involved they may choose to take side further isolating the victim.
- Feelings of worthlessness are natural when someone constantly puts you down and getting over such an upset is a major cliff to climb for a youngster
- Eating disorders or a change in eating habits are another long-term effect of bullying.
Teaching children about bullying is probably the only way to avoid this problem as the impact for victim and abuser is massively underrated.
Here are some things you should tell your kids to reduce their chances of being bullied or exhibiting bullying behaviour…
- Be kind always
- Treat people like you would like to be treated
- You don’t have to be best friends with everyone but you should be friendly and respect others
- Saying mean things to a class mate is mean and it is bullying behaviour
- Hitting anyone is never the answer
- Tell an adult if you are being bullied or if you see someone being bullied.
Bullying may always be a school problem but doing your bit to teach your child about bullying will hopefully reduce your kids chances of being bullied or becoming a bully.
Written by Emma Hayes, staff writer at Family Friendly HQ
