What You Can Do If Your Child is Showing Bullying Behavior

Many parents are surprised to learn that their child is showing bullying behavior. The important thing to remember is that bullying is a behavior and behavior can be changed. In today's episode of PACERTalks About Bullying, we will be sharing five ideas on what you can do if your child is demonstrating bullying behavior.

Transcript

>> Hey there. Welcome back to Pacer Talks about Bullying. I'm Bailey. We're so glad you're here.

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Many parents are surprised to find out that their child is showing bullying behavior. Often they may have no idea that their child is exhibiting these behaviors. So what can you do if you find out that your child is bullying others? Well, in today's episode, we're going to be sharing five ideas and ways to help and support your child if they are the ones showing bullying behavior. Now that you know more about today's episode, let's get into the video.

Number one, talk with your child. If you find out your child is bullying, it's important to remember that bullying is a behavior and that behavior can be changed. Students bully for many different reasons including peer pressure, looking for power and control, being bullied themselves, not recognizing their behavior as hurting others, or they may not label their behavior as bullying. The first step is to talk with your child about why they're bullying in an open, non-judgmental conversation. This discussion should be an opportunity for your child to explore their feelings and to talk about factors that might be leading to this behavior.

Number two is to try and understand your child's feelings and show that you hear what they're telling you. Help your child understand how others feel when they're bullied and let them know that everyone's feelings matter. Role-playing can be a great way to help teach your child different ways of handling situations and how to deal with their emotions like anger, insecurity, or frustration.

Number three is to develop an action plan. Behavior can be changed, but it won't just happen and it's unlikely that your child will just outgrow it. Developing an action plan is a great way to think through steps that will work for your child and their situation. Pacer has a great student action plan that you can use to develop a custom action plan that works best for your child. First, think about the situation and who's involved and how it makes your child feel. Then think about how that could be different and what could be changed. Lastly, think about what steps need to happen to make that change and who else can be involved.

Number four is to teach by example. Model behaviors that focus on kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Encourage cooperative play, practice different ways of handling bullying situations. You could even consider playing games that revolve around empathy. And lastly, number five is to be realistic. It takes time to change behavior. Be patient with your child as they learn new ways of handling feelings and conflict. Make your expectations clear, and provide praise and recognition when your child handles conflict well. Recognize that there may be setbacks, but keep your love and support visible.

And on that note, that's a wrap of this week's episode. We'll see you right back here next week, and remember, together we can create a world without bullying. See ya.

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