In the past, bullying was perceived as a fact of life and that kids should learn to just deal with it.
Nowadays, a new problem arises as teens and even young children are resorting to violence against others to release their stress and tensions brought on by the bullying they endure.
In some of these cases, the children have resorted to suicide because they don't feel there's any other way to deal with what they're feeling.
Here's how you can help: Watch your child's behaviors for any changes- The best thing we can do as parents, is to encourage them to talk to us and tell us when these things are happening, butmost children aren't going to open up and tell you what's going on.
You will have to be perceptive to their behaviors and recognize when somethings amiss.
Some children being bullied will invent ways to get out of school or certain school activities.
Other teens may have trouble sleeping and concentrating when they're being bullied at school.
Most of these children tend to become depressed, irritable, and in some cases, physically ill.
The best thing you can do for them is to keep in tune with their behaviors as much as possible.
Talk to your child about Bullying-Your child's best defense against a bully is to know what to do before bullying incidents start to occur.
Make sure they know that it's not their fault that the bullying is taking place.
You want them to keep their self esteem intact as much as possible.
Teach your child to avoid the bullies whenever they can, without altering too much of their lives to do it.
Let them know that responding to a bully with violence will only make it worse.
The ones that resort to bullying activities thrive on the recipient's reaction; especially when it's fear.
It's best to walk away when a bully approaches you.
If nothing else works for them, they can stand their ground and talk forcefully to the bully; letting them know that they aren't afraid and won't be pushed around.
Work with school officials- If you know or even suspect that your child is being bullied, contact the school officials and see what can be done about it.
Schools have a responsibility to keep your child safe, so make sure they are aware of the situation.
Keep in contact with them and see how things are coming along.
Find out if the school is investigating and see if they have done anything to rectify the situation, if one is occurring.
If you feel the school isn't doing enough to fix the situation, then don't be afraid to go to the school board to get answers and solutions.
The more we inform our children about bullies and not to become one themselves; the better off we will be for protecting all children from these situations.
With the rise in school shootings, schools are now implementing plans to provide children with a safer place to get educated.
Work with them as a team and hopefully, soon, this problem will be a thing of the past.