I think my child is getting bullied

“Bully.” That’s a word we hear a lot lately, especially with school having now officially begun. Bullies come in many shapes and forms. Gone are the days when bullies existed only in the school yard after school. Now we are dealing with a whole new form of bullying, cyberbullying. So, what do you do when your child is being bullied? You advocate for them! I know it is a lot harder to spot a bully nowadays, because it’s not as black and white as it was in the past. So, trust your gut, and watch for changes in your child’s behavior.

Be their voice

Now I know I’m going to get some backlash, because we have this term “helicopter parenting” now, and parents don’t want to fight their kids fights for them. I totally agree! Just remember that bullying goes further than the typical issues that children need to deal with and learn from. Bullies are exerting their power and picking on those that can’t always fight back. So, advocate for your child. Talk with the school, the school counselor, teacher, anyone. I know the schools that I have worked with in the past, have been very helpful and willing to do what they can to help. When your child feels bullied at school, they often feel that their voice either isn’t heard or isn’t important. If they then reach out to you for help and again nothing gets done, children continue to feel unimportant, isolated, anxious or depressed. As children, developmentally, they aren’t at the mental capacity as adults. It’s ok to step in for your child.

So when do I step in?

So, this is really a very grey area, but the best advice a counselor in Flower Mound TX and Southlake, TX can give you is to trust your gut. When something doesn’t feel right, then it’s probably not right. Yet, a good thing to look for is sudden changes in your child’s behavior; isolation, mood changes, drops in grades, etc. A lot of times children don’t feel comfortable talking about these things, especially with their parents (Sorry!), but you’ll notice their difficulties in other areas of their life. Try your best not to shame them during these changes, as they aren’t intentionally trying to do “bad” things. Now this is when it gets tricky. How do I know my child is getting bullied, versus being defiant? You honestly don’t know, but sudden changes, are normally a sign that something else is going on. The best example I can give, is if you tragically lost your entire family, your job, housework, etc., is going to slip. Your mind would be focused on the big stressor in your life. That’s how it is when children are getting bullied. They can’t focus on anything else. They’re constantly stressed out! So, do your best to be empathetic, and to work on finding the core issue.

Reach out to one of our therapists at Pineapple Counseling in Flower Mound, TX or Southlake, TX today!