Bullying
- Empowered Kidz Australia
- Oct 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 25, 2024
Is your child confused about what bullying is? They may keep quiet about it because they do not know how serious it is.
It is vital to teach your child the signs so that they can identify them. If we want kids to stand up against bullying and report it, they need to know what it is and what to do. Without this knowledge, they may confuse conflict or being mean for bullying.
According to the National Centre Against Bullying, the definition of bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical, or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social, or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.
*https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/definition-of-bullying/
Bullying happens repeatedly! It is one-sided, hurtful and on purpose. Being mean is usually a singular occurrence that is hurtful, one-sided and on purpose. A conflict, on the other hand, involves two parties. When children think of bullying, they often think of physical violence, but there are many types, which include verbal, mental, physical, and online. According to the National Centre Against Bullying, it can also be overt or covert.
Nobody should have to accept bullying. It can have immediate and long-term ramifications. According to the National Centre Against Bullying, emotional and behavioural signs that your child is experiencing this include:
Changes in sleep patterns
Changes in eating patterns
Frequent tears or anger
Mood swings
Feeling ill in the morning
Becoming withdrawn or stammering.
Becoming aggressive and unreasonable.
Refusing to talk about what is wrong.
Beginning to target siblings.
Continually losing money or stealing.
Physical signs of bullying:
Unexplained bruises, cuts, scratches
Coming home with missing or damaged belongings or clothes.
Coming home hungrier than usual.
School signs of bullying:
Not wanting to go to school.
Changing their route to school or being frightened of walking to school.
Not wanting to go to school on the bus/tram/train.
School grades falling.
Other signs of bullying can be more hidden, including:
Often being alone or excluded from friendship groups at school.
A frequent target for teasing, mimicking, or ridicule at school
Unable to speak up in class and appears insecure or frightened.”
*https://www.ncab.org.au/bullying-advice/bullying-for-parents/signs-of-bullying/
When you believe that your child is the victim of a bully, take these steps:
Listen to your child, encourage them to share and listen empathetically to the whole story. Reassure them that speaking up is necessary and that bullying is never okay.
Have a conversation with them. Stay calm and chat with your child about what they want to happen. Often, they will fear that your intervention may make the bullying worse! Explain to your child that the abuse is intentional and won’t just go away. Also, staying away from school won’t help.
Bullying often happens at school; do not assume the school knows about it. Contact the school and discuss it. You will find that schools are eager to address bullying and want to stamp it out.
Do not try to approach the bully or their parents directly; this can often make things worse.
If the school fails to help remove your child from school and make your decision known to the school and other relevant bodies
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