5 Tips on How to Protect Your Kid from Bullying

Bullying is quite a widespread phenomenon, with a quarter of public schools admitting to it being at the least a weekly occurrence; statistics reveal that every fifth school student suffered from bullying during the past year.

On the other side of the coin, bullying draws more and more of the public attention, consequently schools and communities are focusing on bringing it down – with celebrities joining in the fight.

While it is mostly a school problem, parents should do their bit, too, having at their fingertips a number of strategies aimed at keeping your child safe from being bullied.

1. Discuss it

Let bullying be an open subject in your family, so that your kids understand they are expected to come out in the open with their experiences and will receive unconditional support. They are brave for bringing up the topic, so you would do well to praise them for it and visit the school to learn how the staff deal with these situations.

2. Eliminate the temptation

Bullies are usually tempted by lunch money, gadgets and the like, so you can divert unwelcome attention from your child by making him or her leave gadgets behind at home and take a packed lunch to school.

3. Encourage the child to stay together with buddies

A child who is caught alone is much more likely to fall prey to bullies, while a company may mean safety. Let your child arrange to appear in less busy parts of the school like bathrooms or faraway nooks accompanied by a classmate or two.

4. Advice to remain calm and take yourself off at the first opportunity

Bullies like to inspire fear and thrive on humiliation; if your kid keeps quiet, tells the bully to quit it and walks away, he has higher chances of being left alone in favor of easier targets.

5. Don’t try to solve the problem yourself

If you are intent on having it out with the bully’s parents, better do it on school premises with a school official present. Don’t make it a personal issue, keep it as official as you can.