Everyone has dealt with bullying in some way. You may have been bullied. You may have been the bully. You may have turned a blind eye to the bullying around you. Maybe all three.
Either way, bullying is likely to be a part of your child's life.
How, though, do you deal with this complicated issue?
Justin Worsham of The Dad Podcast has found some popular tips for handling bullying...
- Talk to your kid and make sure you have an open line of communication.
- At age 3 start to talk to your kid about standing tall and making eye contact when they talk to people.
- Teach your kid to make eye contact and tell someone to stop sternly.
- Walk away and find help. (Which he thinks is horrible advice.)
- Teach your kid to use humor to deflect the situation.
- Talk to the teachers and administrators so they know what is going on.
- Reach out to the parents to try to resolve it directly with them.
What do you do if your child is the bully?
- Find out what happened
- Encourage empathy
- Make them apologize
- Find the root of the issue
- Involve the school
- Be a role model
If you need more help figuring out how to handle your own child being the bully, read more at PBS
Learn more about the statistics of bullying at Stomp Out Bullying
Listen to Gary and Shannon's full conversation with Justin, right here!
To hear more of Justin's take on bullying, and other parenting topics, you can check out all of his stuff at The Dad Podcast
Check out his latest episode on discussing anal sex with your kid and teen vaping with Dr. Jay.