Adventures in living a healthy, juicy life
By Guest Author: Alphonso Sirtle
Here’s a topic that many parents have difficulty explaining to their kids.
No, not the birds and the bees…what kids should do if they see another child or person being mistreated by a bully.
Most adults haven’t thought through what their options are when they see someone being abused.
No surprise then that kids wonder what to do – or worse, behave just as badly as the bully by whipping out cell phones to video the event and spread it online as fast as possible.
Introducing Alphonso Sirtle who visits thatgirlisfunny this week to share his ideas about how to handle a situation involving someone bullying someone else right in front of you.
He offers excellent advice that you can use with your kids.
As I dig deeper into the topic of bullying, I’m noticing that most of us haven’t given much thought to what we would do to assist or rescue someone from a bully’s clutches.
By bullying, I don’t mean physical blows necessarily. Most of us fall victim to other people’s verbal abuse on a much more frequent basis.
Cyber-bullying is on the rise and causing major concern for parents world-wide.
Do your kids know that they’re supposed to do? Are you certain that your kids know how to stand up for themselves?
Your comments are welcomed! Please share your thoughts and experiences with us. You might help or encourage someone to take an action that will stop a bully in his or her tracks.
Comment box is half-way down on the right hand side of this post.
Help your kids develop good habits for standing up for themselves while they’re young. This advice works for adults too. Tell someone who can help or put a stop to the bullying ~ Cheryl Ragsdale
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What To Do If You Witness Bullying
If your child witnesses bullying, it is a great time to tell them how they can help to stop it.
Children who take a proactive approach to bullying will go a long way to stop it from happening again.
Make sure your child knows what to do if they see bullying, especially since they can be reluctant to tell an adult about it.
The following advice is great for kids who have seen bullying and want to know what to do about it.
Openly discussing how to handle the situation, if your child witnesses bullying, is a good way to give your child positive ways to deal with it.
Your child can probably imagine how they would feel if they were bullied.
Most children can understand how much bullying can hurt, and also how hard it is to talk to someone. Make sure they know if they ever witness bullying, that it is ok to tell an adult, and is actually the right thing to do.
Kids may feel like they cannot tell an adult because the bullying will get worse, but normally the bully will never find out and will be stopped.
Telling an adult is the best way to stop bullying – although there are other things your child can do to help as well.
You should encourage your child to tell you – and the teachers or other adults that can help – if they witness bullying. Tell your child that you, and all other school officials will be happy to help if they are made aware that a child is being bullied. Make sure your child knows that telling an adult about bullying is not like being a tattle-tale because bullying is a serious issue.
Make sure that your child is not afraid to speak up if they witness bullying.
You should also tell your child that if they witness bullying a good thing to do is to support the child being bullied. Your child will probably be sympathetic towards the child being bullied and standing up for them, or at least spending time with them, will help to alleviate the bullying. You should not force your child to do so, but make sure they know that it is a good way to make a difference.
Your child should only stand up to a bully if they feel comfortable doing so.
If your child witness bullying, make sure they know that they should stand up to the bully calmly and show them that their actions are not cool or funny.
If your child does not feel comfortable doing this, make sure they know that it is ok as well. Sometimes it is best to just ignore the bullying attempts they witness and encourage the victim to do so as well.
Kids who witness bullying can do a lot to stop it by getting involved. Kids who witness bullying should not put themselves in the position to get bullied, rather notify an adult right away – and if they feel comfortable doing so – stand up for the bullying victim.
Most kids will be willing to help in this way, especially if it is a friend who is being bullied.
About the Author:
Alphonso Sirtle is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit – www.articleclick.com
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Cheryl Ragsdale practices martial arts for fun and physical fitness at Florian Martial Arts Center. Stand up for yourself and stay young from the inside out.
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This is great advice, Alphonso! I just wish they were serious about things like these when I was in high school =) And now bullying has gone on a virtual level. I wouldn’t know how to react when I see my child being picked on that way. As a parent, I wish there was a way aside from telling school officials and other authorities. Maybe a heart to heart talk could help my child and telling him about my history of being bullied would help.
Elmer Querubin´s Last Fabulous Post [type] ..Why Life Insurance is Essential Part of Family Security
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Hey Elmer,
Yes, I think a heart-to-heart talk would help your child to understand the scope of the problem and how it made you feel. Isolating and feeling ashamed only help the bully continue on with bullying even more kids. It’s important that kids who bully get stopped early before they grow up to bullying is an easy way to build power.
Cheryl´s Last Fabulous Post [type] ..15 Gym Freaks Who Pushed It Too Far – Different Strokes For Different Folks