What is bullying?
Bullying in schools can be defined as verbal, physical or emotional harm which is done to another person on purpose. Bullies are not rare and the likelihood of your child either being bullied or bullying others is relatively high. Unfortunately bullying in schools is unavoidable.
How do I know if my child is being bullied?
It is unlikely that your child will tell you that they are being bullied, but you may start to notice a few changes in their behaviour:
• Your child may start to say that he doesn’t want to go to school
• They may get ill (mainly headaches)
• You will notice that they have become slightly irritable
• They may also show anxious behaviour
• They may start to get aggressive towards one or more family members
• Some bedwetting may occur
• Waking in the night shows signs that your child is distressed
• You might also notice constant missing/damaged belongings
What can I do about my child being bullied?
The key is to never ignore bullying, even if you don’t think it is damaging to your child. The truth is that bullying is unacceptable behaviour and should not be allowed to continue. Bullying does not produce a better person, it is abusive.
Take time to talk to your child and let him know that this should not be happening; it is not okay to be treated this way. Promise to do what you can to stop the bullying and follow through with that promise.
Your next step would be to arrange a meeting with your child’s class teacher. This meeting is very important as it is the first step to rectifying this problem. Do not rush into the classroom ready to fight with an unsuspecting teacher – they might not even be aware of the situation. Stay calm and don’t blame anyone. Before your meeting, decide what you want to say and what you would like to achieve by having this meeting. When explaining the situation, be specific about how your child is being bullied and what you have noticed. Ask about the school’s anti-bullying policy so that you are aware of what action will be taken to correct your child’s situation. Discuss the specifics of the actions to be taken. Plan to meet again in two weeks to discuss the progress.
If, for whatever reason, the class teacher does not meet your needs, go to head teacher for help. If there are still no results, it will be time to seek professional help.