5 Ways To Ensure Your Kid Doesn’t Bully Other Kids
Most bullying can be avoided if children are raised to not support bullying in any form. As parents, we need to consciously and constantly imbibe values of companionship, non-violence, caring and loving behavior in our children. We can achieve this by setting examples at home.
How you react to situations at home and with your partner creates a huge impact of bullying on children. Talking loudly, throwing things and violent behavior may lead your child to think it is okay to behave like this with others. Be what you want your child to become.
Why Do Kids Bully Other Kids & How To Deal With It?:
Sometimes, it so happens that really sweet and nice parents also end up having a child who bullies other children. The good news is that there are ways to bully-proof your child and prevent him from bullying others.
1. Acknowledge Emotions:
There will be times when your children are angry with you because things don’t go their way. You need to acknowledge the fact that they are angry and direct them towards dealing with the emotion. Let them divert their negative energy and transform it into something positive.
You can also set an example if you are angry, by telling them ‘Mommy is a little angry and upset right now and I am going to take a walk to calm myself down’. By doing this, they know that it’s ok to be angry once in a while and that there is a way to deal with it.
[ Read: How To Identify Child Bullying? ]
2. Make Play A Priority:
Yes, you read that right! From a young age let your child play with other children (from different ethnic backgrounds, age groups, race, colour, religion). This will develop your child’s social skills and he will understand that everyone is different and to respect that.
A lot of times we see children bullying among children who look or behave differently. By encouraging your children to play with different people they realize it is okay to be of a different shape, size, colour, etc. than themselves.
3. Encourage Kids To Help:
Many parents tell their kids that their job is to study well. The problem arises when they don’t let their children learn non-education related aspects. Assign simple and age appropriate tasks at home to your children and treat them like young adults, and not mere kids.
By this, you assure them that their abilities are highly useful & needed giving them the feeling of power. Also, you are making them responsible for their actions, which works even when they do something wrong, i.e. they cannot get away with bad behavior.
[ Read: Cyber Bullying Facts For Kids ]
4. Let Them Speak Out:
It is always preferable in good parenting to have a two way communication. Letting children voice their thoughts gives them the assurance that their feelings matter. Always give a platform to them, to speak out their thoughts and doubts.
You may not find it fruitful in the beginning, but steadily this can help you gently guide them to be honest, fair and polite. Allowing your kids to have a “Voice your thoughts” session every week will help them express their problems and good things they experience on daily basis to you rather than bullying other kids.
5. Intervene If Needed:
Sometimes, it is necessary to take drastic steps. Your child is yours to protect and you should never let him to deal with all his problems alone. In spite of all measures your take, your child may be struggling to overcome his bullying tendencies. In such a situation, you as a parent should know when to intervene and ask for help by informing other parents, teacher or his school authorities. You can opt for counseling as well if required.
We are sure there are a lot of other ways adopted by parents to teach their child not to bully; if you have any tried and tested strategy, we would like to hear your experiences and how you handled them. Please share your thoughts in the section below!
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