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Tips for Parents to Help Prevent the Long Lasting Effects of Bullying

Always after the Jackson County Fair it is time to think about the new school year. Children will be anxious to get back into a routine and be with their friends and meet new ones. However, sometimes new friends can turn out to be someone who can make your child's school year a disaster. During the normal school year, each day nearly 160,000 children in the United States stay home from school because of bullying. Bullying isn't "just part of growing up" because it can have a lasting effect on the victim, the bully, the school and the community. Every child deserves an environment where they can develop without cruelty and fear of aggression. So, here are some tips that parents and adults can use to help prevent the long-lasting effects of bullying.

  • Help your child feel good about himself/herself in a healthy way. Encourage your child to set and reach goals.
  • Be a positive role model. Respect others and stand up for yourself when people don't show respect for you.
  • Spend quality time with your child by talking and listening to their daily adventures while looking for potential signs of bullying activities.
  • Teach your child not to be a by-stander. Encourage your child to tell a bully to stop or to walk away and get help from an adult.
  • Use positive discipline and teach nonviolence. Let them know that using violence to solve problems or deal with anger only makes things worse.

Parents need to recognize the warning signs to make sure your child isn't bullying others. If your child is doing the following, they might be bullying others.
  • Putting others down and not showing any concern about other's feelings.
  • Disrespecting authority and people who are different from them.
  • Disregarding rules.
  • Having a need to have power over others.
  • Making jokes about violent acts or enjoying violence.


    • If parents see that their child is bullying others, stay calm, but help your child focus on how to learn positive behavior. Talk about the bullying and ask them why they enjoy bullying others. Talk about nonviolent ways to deal with strong feelings like anger. Most importantly, make it clear that you think bullying is wrong. If you see no progress, you might wish to speak with teachers, counselors, or mental health providers on ways to assist your child to eliminate his bullying tactics or how to deal with bullies in the daily school environment. For more information about bullying, you can check out the website www.mentalhealthamericajc.net.


    Contact Us

    Laura Stahl
    P.O. Box 51
    Seymour, IN 47274
    Phone: (812) 522-3480
    Fax: (812) 524-8176
    E-mail: mhajc@cabjackson.org