Tips to Bully-Proof Your Little Ones
posted on Jan 02, 2020
Bullying is one thing that though disturbs a lot, yet is more common than one can think. It is a kind of behavior that surges the most in childhood. But, can you really bully-proof your little one? The answer has to be a ‘no’. But instead of succumbing to the fears, there is indeed so much that we can share with our little ones to prepare them for the unforeseen. While we, at Gurukul The School, have strictly maintained a ‘no-bully environment’ in our school, we still believe that children should be prepared to manage the bullies and bullying wherever they get to face such incidences in the society. And the strong moral and social development of children is what it takes to make them stronger and so-called ‘Bully-Proof’.
What You Need to Know about Bullying
Bullying happens when a person or group targets someone for making fun. It could be for their appearance, behavior, social status, etc. It may happen in public places, at workplaces, or even in social gatherings. Bullying can be physical, verbal, psychological, or cyberbullying.
There isn’t a specific trait that calls for bullying, but it has been observed that those who are shy and introvert or are on a weaker side are more prone to be bullied. Bullying creates an experience of that environment as unsafe and often drives the person being bullied towards anxiety or depression.
Quick Tips to Bully-Proof Your Little Ones
Here are a few tips from the experts which can help you in building the resilience in our little, loved ones. This will help them become strong and fearless to deal with the various aspects of bullying.
When children are bullied, they often fear to tell about the incidence to others and thus keep them confined within a shell imposed on themselves. This is why it is important to encourage them to seek support instead of shying away. Develop a rapport with kids through open communication such that the child feels confident in asking for help.
Bullies expect certain cowardly behavior from the victims of bullying, which gives them pleasure. We can teach kids what to spurt back when someone is bothering or bullying them. Make them practice scripts such as ‘Please stop bothering me’ or ‘Excuse me, it’s not OK’ or simply ‘Stop’.
- Routine Dialog About the Day
Don’t wait for the concern to arise. Make it a practice to daily share your day with children and try conversing with them about what happened during the day. Also, ask about what those things made them feel. By establishing this open dialogue as a routine, your little ones will be more willing to share things from their day, which may even include things you might not really want to hear.
- Be their Ally; Not just Friends
As a friend and a loved one, you may be driven to believe your children are right and hence jump to the conclusion. This creates confusion and may get your child to actually play a bully because of your unintentional support. It is good to trust your child, but always make it a habit to find facts of what they are telling you. This will ensure that your child is neither being bullied nor being a bully.
When the others standing around and watching are united to intervene correctly, bullying can be stopped in less than half a minute. Talk to your little ones about how they can stand by as support with the victim of bullying in that moment. Another effective way is to gather supporting crowd asking for help, confront the bully, and walk away from the scene together with confidence.
At Gurukul Crossings, one of the best schools near Crossing Republik, Ghaziabad, we have always treasured a vision of nurturing children’s creative minds and enriching their curiosity. This includes that the children express themselves without any fears and constraints. And for that to happen, it is crucial that children are prepared in such a way that they neither turn into a bully nor do they accept bullying in any form. Let’s come together and empower our kids to eradicate the demon of ‘bullying’ from society.