How to Deal with (and Prevent) Bullying
This post about how to deal with (and prevent) bullying is sponsored by #WWEmoms and The Online Mom to help spread the word of the alliance between WWE and Be A STAR Foundation. All stories and opinions are my own. (and there’s a Twitter party announcement below, just so you know)
{Show Tolerance And Respect}
I’m in a Facebook group with over 3000 ladies and we talk about our daily lives and things that bother us or make us happy or just what’s going on in our individual worlds. Just yesterday, one of the ladies shared a photo and a story about bullying that had me in tears and almost to the point of getting sick. This photo was of a 5 year old boy with a narrow bruise all around his neck. This young boy had been bullied at school when three boys his own age ganged up on him and tried to strangle him with a jump rope. Seriously?! Now, there are a lot of things wrong with this besides the obvious, the actual bullying. Where were the adults? Why didn’t they notice that three boys had ganged up on one other boy? Where did these boys learn to do this? Why are five year olds this evil? I just have a million questions going through my head!
I do have to admit that I’ve never been in a situation where I was responsible for several (over 20?) five year olds at one time so I can’t judge. I can question, but I can’t put myself in their shoes. All I can think of to do from where I sit is to educate, educate, educate…
How to Deal with (and Prevent) Bullying
1. Model and Teach Respect
From a VERY early age, your kids are watching you and ready to emulate you in the world. My boy’s first bully was when he was four years old and I was shocked. I thought we had at least until Kindergarten before we had to deal with this. Show respect to your children and they will respect others in turn.
Respect is the key to avoiding and preventing bullying
2. Pay Attention and Take Action
As an adult, you are responsible for paying attention to the world around you and taking action against bullying. Listen to what kids are saying to each other, about each other, and around each other. You may not be witnessing the bullying outright, but you might catch a comment of disrespect that could help you turn things around before it even starts. Taking action is going to be the hardest part, but you have to find a way to respond when you hear these things that works for you and will do less harm than good. .
3. Remain Calm and Deal with the Problem
Getting out of control when you see bullying will not help. Yelling and shaming a bully will only encourage further bullying. Stop the bullying calmly and then deal with all of the participants individually. You will need to separate the victim, the bully or bullies, and the bystanders in order to listen and learn what is behind the actual issue. Listen to what the bully has to say because it is likely that the bully is having issues of his/her own and that the bad behavior is a cry for help. Ensure that the victim is safe and doesn’t need medical or psychological help. Also ensure that the victim knows not to further shame the bully for getting into trouble. This is another opportunity to treat all of the participants about respect.
Dealing with and preventing bullying is a tough situation. There are rights and wrongs, but the bottom line is to teach respect and show respect to everyone. Learn more about how to prevent bullying with the be a STAR alliance.
Finally, learn about the partnership between the WWE and be a STAR for more information!
Twitter Party Alert
Join @WWEmoms @BeaSTARAlliance and friends on Thursday, September 25 at 7 pm ET as we encourage you to Be a STAR!
Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) was founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE in April 2011. The mission of Be a STAR is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. Be a STAR promotes positive methods of social interaction and encourages people to treat others as equals and with respect because everyone is a star in their own right!
RSVP and attend the party for a chance to win a Laptop Case, a Messenger Bag or an All-in-One Charger Set!
–> RSVP here <–
-Recent Comments-