Parent Tips: 10 Tips to Protect Your Child from Bullying!

1. The child who is bullying others wants social success, but doesn't know how to attain it. He's grabbing for it, instead of being kind, interested in others, and empathetic.
2. Your child doesn't need your rejection or anger, he's getting more than enough of that at school. He needs your support, and your skills.
3. Kids who bully are hypersensitive, and often feel a bit paranoid, as though people are out to “get” them. They aren't skilled at reading social situations, and they often register unintentional slights or accidents as direct attacks.
4. Kids tend to initially like a child who bullies; they try to please him, follow his lead, and want to be his friend. This doesn't last—as kids become more frightened of him, he loses clout.
5. Your child may need help understanding social structure. He doesn't know how to contribute to others, or to share.
6. “Boys will be boys” is not a valid excuse for bullying behavior.
7. The kid who is bullying others often gets into trouble, but always has a scapegoat.
8. Don't label or let others label him a bully. People can change, and aggressive tendencies can be channeled.
9. Consider that chronic aggression may be a sign of a learning disability or other problems.
10. Don't pity your child, but take action to improve his communication skills. Let him know why is having trouble making friends, “Joe, kids aren't friends with people who hit them and are angry all the time.”