What To Do When Your Child Is a Bully

We have heard so much about bullying in school and how it can affect emotional well-being of the victim. As a parent, we definitely very worry about this and we don’t want it to happen to our kids. But, what if one day your kid’s school calls and says that your precious baby is involved in a bullying case, and the worst thing about it, your child is not the victim but he is actually ‘the bully’.

How will you react to that surprising news? It is definitely not an easy thing to accept. So, here are some tips to help you make the right action when your child really hurts their friends in school.

Admit that This is a Problem You Should Face

Acknowledging the fact that your child is a bully is definitely hard to process. But it is very important to admit that your kid has caused trouble and harm to other kids and you should do something about this. You must correct your child’s behavior and acknowledging the mistake they have done is the first step to do it.

You cannot do this alone. Talk to the teacher and cooperate with them. You might feel so exposed and think that you are a bad parent. But if you are brave enough to face this problem instead of living in denial, you are actually a good parent and you definitely can help your child passing this problem.

Find Out the Core of the Problem

No kid is born as a bully. If they end up hurting their friends either verbally or physically, there must be something that causes it. In some cases, it is simply because the kid is still too little and they don’t know any better.

Sometimes, it is because they have some insecurity and they turn their anger and emotional pain toward their weaker friends. There are also cases where a kid bullies their friend because they have some psychological issue. If you manage to find the core of the problem, the bullying behavior definitely will stop.

Explain about the Effect of Bullying

Your kids will need to face consequences for their action. But before you punish them, make sure they know that what they did was wrong, that their behavior can create a painful memory for the victim. If you skip this step and go straight to punishing, your child will be confused. Instead of realizing their wrong behavior, they will be angry and channel their anger by bullying their friends again.

Tell Your Kids that There Will Be a Consequence for Their Action

After your kid has understood that what they did was wrong, tell them what you expect from them. If they repeat their mistakes, make sure they know that there will be consequences, for example they will be grounded for several days or you will take certain privilege for them. But don’t let this become a painful experience for them. So, don’t forget to teach them about empathy, and if they show kindness to their friends, reward them so they know that they are doing the right things.