The Parent’s Role in Bullying

It may not be clear, but parents and their parenting styles play a vital role in how their child interacts with peers. Through certain steps and styles you can ensure that your child will be a defender against bullying rather than be a bully or a bystander. 

Take these steps into consideration:

• Don’t tolerate any type of disrespect. If your child disrespects authority they are likely to disrespect their peers.
• Demonstrate empathy and compassion. Reiterate that it is important to show their feelings. If they are going through a rough time, use it as a moment to teach them.
• Teach your child to accept differences. Do not tolerate any cruelty towards people with any type of difference that your child comes in contact with.
• Model confidence. Show your child how to be confident and encourage them to speak confidently as well as make eye contact. Explain to them how you act is how you will be treated.
• Show your child the difference between passive, aggressive, and assertive behaviors.
• Role-play with your child so they understand how to act when they are put in situations. This will help them to build confidence and stick up for themselves when in a real-world situation.

You don’t have the ability to control what happens in to your child at school or in the real world, so the only way to be sure they are prepared for any situation is to teach and model positive behaviors. Respect your child’s privacy, but make it be known that you are there to listen to any issues that arise.

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