Facing Bullies: Deal with the Problem by Confronting

Tolerating bullies on a regular basis can take a serious toll on someone’s mental health. Teens are often especially sensitive to being mistreated. Name-calling, manipulation or even physical abuse are just some of the ways your child may be suffering.

Bullies are cruel, dominating and persistent. They want power over those they believe they can step on. Being bullied can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, suicide or any number of other problems. Groups of bullies may form against the kid who stands out from the crowd. On top of classes, homework and everything else, being bullied only increases unnecessary stress for kids. It’s important to take action to improve the situation before the bully can cause too much damage.

Don’t Be Fooled by Appearance

Bullies can appear to be normal people or look ugly and mean. Appearances can be deceiving. They may seem sweet at first but become cruel when you get to know them. Bullies can be big, small, short or tall. No matter what, don’t make assumptions because they’ll fool you.

Encourage Independence

Bullies enjoy the attention they receive from harming others. They know that someone who’s focused on their own life will require extra effort to dominate. Encourage your child to think and live independently. Children shouldn’t be given excessive freedom either. Some activities to suggest are joining a club, sport or learning a creative hobby like painting. Volunteering can be a healthy outlet for what’s going on in a teen’s life. Rather than sinking into despair, teens can feel empowered by helping others. Even if they lack control in their own lives, they can take action for someone else. Charitable causes they might enjoy are helping needy children, the environment or animals.

Inspire Self-Confidence

It’s more difficult to beat down on someone with high self-confidence. Inspire the right attitude in your teen by teaching them to love and respect themselves. You can highlight their best qualities by giving genuine compliments. Learning new skills is a smart way to build confidence. A person who’s positive doesn’t use their ego to get what they want. Instead, they utilize their best moral judgment to assess the situation and earn things in a fair way. This is the right attitude to gain trust and respect from peers.

Teach Patience

Bullies come full-force with the intention of provoking someone’s emotions. Teach your child that it’s never okay for someone to manipulate their feelings. Teaching patience will help them learn self-control for the next time a bully tries to get to them. Tell children to have a response ready so they can be unemotional towards bullies.

Teach Them Healthy Boundaries

Your child should be taught that it’s not acceptable for anyone to cross their boundaries. If a bulky crosses the line they need to stand their ground. Tell your child that bullies respond better to unemotional language. In this way, your child isn’t showing that they’re a victim or challenging the bully either. Their territory, toys and other objects delineating to them. Teach them to directly respond to people and ask for what they want in a direct manner with no questions asked. Your child is in control of their own body and mind. Not one person has the right to cross their boundaries. Knowing the correct social skills is crucial to surviving in today’s society.

Encourage Healthy Relationships

Your child will feel less intimidated by bullies if he/she has a healthy support system. They need to be embraced by responsible adults they can trust and real friends they can count on. A responsible adult who has the right frame of mind will defend and protect a child in need if necessary. A genuine friend will love your child as they are and never try to change them. Bullies attack by singling someone out, leaving them defenseless.

Sometimes teenagers need advice on how to cope with stressful situations. As a parent, you need to be a responsible adult. Without being intrusive, watch for signs that your teen is having trouble with bullies. Empowering yourself with knowledge will help you navigate the difficulties of parenthood. If you feel as though your child needs additional help with mental health issues, you might want to consider the possibility of residential treatment at Hillcrest Adolescent Treatment Center.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/bam/life/bully.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-couch/201702/6-smarter-ways-deal-bully
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bullies.html
http://www1.cbn.com/700club/paul-coughlin-truth-about-bullies