How to Help Your Child With Bullying

Many children experience bullying, or show bullying behaviour to others. While it is a common behaviour, it’s not something you should ignore or accept as a normal part of life.

Perhaps you’ve heard these messages about bullying:

• • “Everyone gets bullied at some point. It’s just a part of growing up.”

• • “You should ignore it and they’ll soon get bored.”

• • “It makes a man of you.”

• • “It never did me any harm.”

• • “You need to stand up for yourself.”

• • “It’s just banter/ teasing.”

For a long time, bullying was dismissed as a natural stage of childhood, but it can have a significant impact on children’s health and wellbeing and should always be taken seriously.

What is bullying?

Bullying is different from falling out with friends. While it’s normal for children to get upset by the occasional mean comment or feel left out of a game, bullying behaviour is a deliberate decision by the perpetrator.

Bullying is:

• • Intentional: The behaviour is deliberate and targeted

• • Repetitive: It happens frequently and can feel relentless

• • Powerful: The person bullying has power over the person being bullied