Anti-Bullying: 3 Ways to Stop Bullying and Teach Kids to “Be Good to Each Other”

mom • parenting • parenting • ages and stages

by Michelle Babin on October 5th, 2011 | No Comments »

Bullying—Today in the United States, 1 in 4 teens are bullied. With more and more teens in possession of smart phones, iPads, and social media sites, cyber bullying is at an all-time high. In fact, 43% of kids have been bullied while online. This raises the question: what can you do to protect your children and loved ones from bullying?

3 Ways to Stomp Out Bullying

Below, are some tips from anti-bullying expert and founder of STOMP Out Bullying™, Ross Ellis:

What to do if your child is left out of a group or being bullied...

Very often, your child will think that someone they considered a friend has joined the bully’s side. While this does hurt, have a conversation with your child and discuss how much of a friend he or she really was if this behavior is occurring. Encourage your child to find other friends and to join groups and clubs at school. The best revenge is for your child to be happy.

What to do if your child is being verbally and emotionally bullied...

The best way for kids to handle this is to look the bully straight in the eye and give a comeback such as, “You really need to get more original” or “yeah – sure,” and walk away without having any conversation. By taking away the bully’s power, the bully will see that your child is not bothered and will eventually stop the behavior.

What to do if your child is being cyberbullied...

If your child is being called names or people are talking about your child online, the best thing to do is block these people. If, however, your child is being threatened, you should print out all instances and contact the police immediately.

Is your child being bullied or simply experiencing a normal social interaction? When a kid is joking around and calls another kid a name, and it is not a repeated and constant, that is normal social action. On the contrary, the repeated and constant cruelty of name calling is considered bullying. Explain the difference to your child so he or she understands if the interaction is bullying or not.

"Be Good to Each Other" Campaign

What else can you do to help prevent bullying in your child’s school? Help create awareness for Anti-Bullying Prevention by letting kids share their thoughts and feelings on bullying. Here’s how:

CustomInk and STOMP Out Bullying™ have partnered up to create the “Be Good to Each Other” campaign, which encourages students K-12 to create custom anti-bullying t-shirts to wear throughout the month of October for National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. By creating a custom message against bullying, these t-shirts help to provide a voice for those who have either experienced and/or witnessed bullying. Let your child’s voice be heard, and join in the effort to stop bullying. To create your custom anti-bullying t-shirt visit: www.customink.com/stopbullying.

Has your family ever been affected by a bully? What did you do to help your kids stop and/or overcome the bully?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Michelle is a graduate from the University of Maryland, and currently blogs about the Baltimore Orioles, Washington D.C. social life, and her two golden retrievers.