How to talk to your children about bullying

Bullying is a practice of harassment and intimidation that many children and adolescents suffer every day, having detected an increase in cases in recent years, as well as hundreds of victims who end up committing suicide because they cannot bear so much suffering due to the bullying that other people have committed against them for a while dragged on.

You should know how to talk to your children about bullying, since it should be noted that suicide is still happening today the first cause of unnatural death among young people, and bullying is one of the main causes that are behind. That is why it is necessary to take action on the matter and raise awareness among the general population about such an important issue.

In this article you will find a series of guidelines on how to talk to your children about bullying and you know some signs that may show signs that your child may be being bullied.

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Tips on how to talk to your children about bullying

Bullying is a form of harassment and intimidation suffered by many children and adolescents in the school and extracurricular environment, being the harasser or bullies usually other children or adolescents who attend the same educational center, so it is usually the place where the bullying is triggered. abuse.

It can also occur in a place where both the victim and her harasser are engaged in some activity (for example, on a soccer team) and at these times, With the rise of social networks, in many cases bullying is perpetrated through them, being what is known as cyberbullying, so now bullies have the possibility to continue harassing their victim outside school hours and after school, so the victim may feel even more harassed. For this reason, it is extremely important that educational centers and parents acquire guidelines to detect these cases.

Below we will present a series of tips on how to talk to your children about bullying in order to help them and take effective action as soon as possible.

1. Choose a suitable place

To start talking to your children about bullying, it is important to find a suitable place where they feel comfortable (for example, the living room of your home, sitting in an armchair); of course, avoiding distractions that take your child off topic, such as the mobile phone, the tablet or the television.

Once you are in a comfortable and suitable place to have a conversation, you can start by asking the son how he is doing in the school or by the people with whom he usually interacts during recess or lunch, always in a calm way, transmitting to his son trust.

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2. open communication

It is important that children be taught that they can have an open communication with their parents, always respecting a plot of privacy, so that they feel more confident to talk to their parents about issues that worry them or even torment them, such as being bullied. It is true that even if there is open communication with the parents, it will be difficult for the child to tell them that she is being bullied, but are still more likely to do so than if they are not used to communicating openly with they.

In order to talk to your children about bullying, there must be open communication between them and their parents, so it can be useful to have a space in the home where the children are actively listened to about their interests and what worries them, and the reason for their concern may be a hypothetical case of suffering bullying.

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3. Explain to children what bullying is

Once an environment of trust has been established that allows open communication to be able to talk to your children about bullying, it is important talk to them about what bullying or bullying is, so that they understand that it is a more serious issue than perhaps they might think and, in this way, manner, that it does not become a taboo subject at home so they feel more confident to talk about it with their parents.

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4. Expose children that behaviors such as bullying should not be allowed

When talking to your children about bullying, it is also important to talk to them about the different ways in which it can be carried out. out, as it can be, making a void to a colleague and encouraging other colleagues to do the same, through insults, blows, stealing personal belongings, making up negative things about another child and spreading them, bullying through social networks (cyberbullying) and many others shapes.

At this point, it is important to bear in mind the importance of be familiar with the online experience of children and other people who are the same age because that way you can control that they make correct use of these technologies because they are a medium in which they can consume content that encourages violence and it is also a medium that is frequently used to perpetrate harassment or bullying (cyberbullying). Children should be aware that bullying through social networks is just as serious as violent physical behavior.

This will allow make children aware of the seriousness of these behaviors so that they are aware that they should be totally prohibited and that if they suffer from any of them they should seek help immediately, starting by notifying their parents to that they take the appropriate measures (for example, contacting the school in case it was the place where bullying usually takes place, filing a complaint, etc.).

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5. Practice ways to respond to bullying

When talking to your children about bullying, it is also important to teach them how to act if they are suffering or if they see someone around them being bullied.

If they are the ones who are suffering from bullying, they must learn to face these situations in case one day they experience them. To do this, they must know how to identify when a situation of harassment or bullying is taking place and, if they are experiencing any type of harassment, they should tell the harasser “stop” or stop in a firm voice and ask for help if that doesn't work. You also have to explain to them that they should never fall into provocations because that way they will not solve the matter.

If you are watching another child being bullied or cyberbullied, instead of being a passive bystander, what you should do is report the bullying to an adult who could intervene. Children must be taught that by telling an adult they do not become "snitches" or accusers, since the adults they warn they are going to take measures without revealing who the person who has notified has been and thus would be helping a person who is suffering.

They should also be explained the consequences of not saying anything when they are aware that another child is being bullied in order for them to become aware of the matter and seek help, as this is an act of courage and compassion for another person who is suffering. For this reason, it is also important to explain to them how to seek help so that they know who to turn to. Of course, you can always start by telling your parents so they can be the ones to seek help.

Likewise, it is important that they learn to help children who are being bullied integrate socially. making them feel welcome in your group, as it can help them feel supported and supported by other peers, which can promote the prevention of future cases of harassment or bullying.

When you want to talk to your children about bullying, when they are very young, a good option to deal with this topic would be to communicate with them through play when; thus they could express themselves through the behaviors performed through their dolls.

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6. Be an example for children

In addition to the importance of talking to your children about bullying, it is essential to teach children how to treat other people, both children and adults, from education and respect, so that they learn values ​​that promote the inclusion of all at a social level and thus help other children who are being mistreated and excluded to integrate into the group.

For this, it is important to lead by example, so that they see their parents that they must act appropriately in at all times and you must be tolerant with everyone, without leaving them empty or excluding people who are having a hard time evil.

In addition to being an example for them of what is the right way to behave, it is also important to help children build their self-confidence. For this, it is good to encourage them to carry out various extracurricular activities that promote good habits, new learning and establishment of healthy social relationships with other people of the same age who share similar tastes and interests theirs.