How to Help Prevent Bullying

In the United States, more than 30 percent of teenagers are victims of bullying.

160,000 children stay home every day in fear of going to school due to being bullied. And that number grows daily with teens fearful to tell their elders for fear that the bullying activities might somehow grow worse in some way. I personally feel that bullying has grown way out of hand and is a very serious topic that should be addressed within our homes as well as the local school systems.

So what is bullying? It is an action that is caused by one person or multiple people to make another person feel inadequate, embarrassed, physically harmed, and to bring their self-esteem down. There are four major types of bullying which include: verbal, physical, mental, and cyber. The cyberbullying one is something new that is growing as we continue to make technological advances. When I was growing up we didn't have the whole cyber online thing, but it is now a major issue that most kids won't discuss. Children are actually less likely to tell parents about cyber bullies for fear that they will lose their technology privileges by way of grounding.

Now before I dive into a few ways you can help to prevent bullying. I want to share my experiences as well as hardships with the topic. And how I learned that it is okay to not be okay all the time. I have a good head on my shoulders, I have great friends, I am confident in myself and I hope to one day have a career where I can really make a difference in people's lives. However, I was not always like this.

From second grade to eighth grade I was relentlessly bullied. It ranged from everything to my style, to the fact that I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup, I wasn’t allowed to date until a certain age, and I wasn’t allowed to wear certain things. The students were relentless back then. They did everything from put gum in my hair, kick me signs on my back, and there was a note put in my locker. The note told me to kill myself because I wasn’t worth anything. Like most kids, even in today's society I never said anything because being a tattle tail even nowadays isn’t a good thing. So I just resorted to self-mutilation as a way of coping. Eventually, I did say something to a family member and they said to go to a school counselor. There it was…I was labeled a narc. Then a girl wanted to fight me for tattling and I was kicked out of school. And none of the other kids were punished for bullying. It is my experience that schools might say that they have a zero-tolerance policy, but unless you have a parent go down there to raise hell then nothing gets done.

Now here are eight ways to help prevent bullying or how to talk to your teens about it. Which let's face it, times are changing and young people today do not want to talk about uncomfortable topics such as this. But it is important to engage them.

Bully Prevention and How to Talk to Teens About It:

1. Encourage kids and teens to talk to an adult they trust if they are a victim or see someone being bullied.

2. Talk about tips and strategies for staying safe if they around a bully.

3. Give them tips on how to walk away, or stand up for themselves by confidently saying "stop."

4. Have open and honest communication

5. Encourage them to do what they love and keep their mind off the hurtful words or physical actions.

6. Tell them they aren't alone and that they can find friends to help them through their problems.

7. Compliment them and encourage them to compliment others.

8. Remind them that it gets better.

*Bullying is not okay in any form...if you or someone you know is a victim of bullying, take a stand*