Know If Your Child Is Being Bullied

Children get bullied all the time at school or at play. It’s not easy for parents to know if their child is being bullied and most parents are completely ignorant of the subtle signs and messages there children may give out which makes dealing with such a situation all the more difficult. Parents need to be open minded and ready to listen to all and everything their child might have to say about their trials at school.

Initial Signs Of Distress

• * Children are sometimes reluctant to go to school but this may be because of a wide variety of reasons such has having problems in a particular class or if it’s a “homework checking” day. But if your child has made it an everyday issue then you might want to consider bulling as a problem.
• * Children of all ages often go through mood swings and moments of general depression, which is a way of normal life, but parents are advised to keep a close watch. If your child is unusually depressed, particularly at times when he returns from school he may be facing a troublesome school kid.
• * Children who are bullied upon usually feel low about themselves and the continuous physical and emotional abuse they face as a result will only aid in making them feel more little about themselves. Parents should know that such depressions if not tended to can get embedded in the child and may become a part of his true nature. Problems like these can get stretched over long periods of time and later may have to be dealt with therapy.
• * Most children who are victims of bullies don’t have many friends. They are unable to form lasting friendly relationships with children there age and spend most of their time with adults as a safety measure. On the contrary, children with friends may have a fall out with their buddies owing to bullying. If your children prefer spending time alone, it is quiet obvious that someone might be picking on them.
• * The sign of bullying that is the easiest to spot will be the falling of your child’s school grades especially in comparatively easier subjects.

Other Ways To Tell

Some children get really secretive about their problems. For example, if they get physically hurt and have suspicious unexplained cuts or bruises on their bodies they will make up a story instead of telling the truth.

Some children may show a loss of appetite and bring home uneaten lunchboxes. On the other hand they may come home with their geometry boxes or money missing or torn clothes, broken games or toys. These are clear signs of abuse caused by bullying.

As parents you need to remember that bullies single out their victims on the basis of psychological traits such as shyness, sensitivity, feelings of insecurity and anxiety, low self worth and lack of social worth and physical traits such as being overweight, small or belonging to a different race. While the latter can be changed only to a certain extent, former can be dealt with by reassuring your kids that they’re needed and have a significant place in the social setup.

Sometimes children just need to hear that they mean some thing to you and the world, and things change for the better.