One of the numerous roles of a parent is raising a socially healthy child and positively influencing their children’s behavior and attitude. It is often said that children are products of what their parents are; this means your children will showcase in school the kind of behavior they experience at home. Parents are the first teachers that their children come in contact with; children learn, emulate and replicate the behaviors present in their immediate environment. It is required that as a parent you teach your child how to treat people with respect and kindness.
It is a known fact that children who are raised in hostile/abusive environments have a higher tendency to either be bullied or become bullies themselves. Bullying is one of the prevalent problems in schools today, and this can go on for a long time without anyone knowing or even suspecting a thing. Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Sadly, many cases of bullying go unreported especially online bullying.
Parents can help to protect their children from bullying by teaching them socially acceptable skills and behaviors that include, helping, sharing, problem-solving, and negotiation skills. Parents can also become more informed and aware to be able to spot a child who might be a victim or a bully themselves. Learning to recognize the signs or tendencies of a child bully is important, children who show signs of aggression, intolerance, or lack of empathy may be bullies or victims. Early detection and intervention help to reduce the impact and spread of bullying.
Read more: Signs Your Child Is Being Bullied
Here are a few tips for parents to help curb bullying;
Start Them Young
Parents can start early in talking to their children about socially acceptable behavior. This helps to instill the right values in the child.
Teach Your Children About Bullying
Children need to be informed about bullying, the different forms of bullying which are physical bullying, cyberbullying, and verbal bullying. It is important to keep them informed of all these in order to help keep your children safe. Parents can also teach ways to respond when they encounter a bullying situation, like walking away, talking to an adult, saying STOP, avoiding trigger situations, speaking up against bullying, engaging in healthy curricular activities, etc.
Replicate the Right Behavior
Children are often known to practice what they see, they learn by watching the adults in their life (parents, older siblings, uncles, aunties, etc.). Teaching children how to treat others cautiously helps them relate better with their peers.
Make Rules on how Children Should Treat Others
Establishing clear rules helps to guide the child’s behavior, set expectations, and define consequences.
Every stakeholder should be involved in ending bullying. Parents like the school should create a toxic-free and safer environment for their children. We believe parents and schools partnering together to fight bullying is important in winning the battle against bullying.
