How To Help Your Child If They Are Being Bullied

I THOUGHT THE FILM WAS GOOD. ALTHOUGH I DO NOT THINK THE SUBJECT OF BULLYING IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY ENOUGH BY SCHOOLS OR OUR SOCIETY IN GENERAL. PLEASE DO NOT BULLY, IT AFFECTS A PERSON FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.

I agree. I also suffered verbal and physical bullying as a child. My mother taught me that the christian thing to do was to turn the other cheek. I developed low self esteemand was very depressed for at least a year or so. Finally, one day my father saw me arrive home from school one day, crawling across the back yard, crying. He came to me and asked what had happened. I told him, expecting the same reaction as my mothers. To my surprise, he was angry and asked me why didn't I just " give a big punch" and tell her to leave me alone. This girl and her older sister were the biggest bullies in town and eveyone was afraid of them or impressed by them. But what Dad said to me that day changed my entire outlook... I had the right to defend myself and was not at all afraid. At this point, I had no friends. I was the least popular girl in school deeply depressed and had poor grades. I went back to school the next day early and sought out the bully. I confronted her in front of a large group of her friends and told her she'd better never "mess with me" again. I was full of anger built up over months of bullying and was full of the confidence my Dad had instilled in me. I will always remember the look of surprise and a certain fear she had in her eyes. The rumers spread and by lunch I confronted her again, now egged on by a mob of students hoping to see a fight. I had no intention of fighting but simply of giving her a piece of my mind and letting her know I would never turn the cheek again. I remember she was quite impressed and was backing away. The mob of students finally pushed both of us into one another and I can just remember hair pulling and punches. At some point, the head coach intervened and pulled us apart. We were both expelled for a day. As the bully and I were sitting alone in the principals office waiting for our parents to come pick us up, the bully began to talk to me... with respect and attempting to make friends with me! My parents were forgiving as they understood what had happened was a positive thing for me. When I returned to school the next day, kids in my class and upper classes as well smiled at me and treated me with dignity. I never picked a fight again but was tagged with the nickname "Mo" (Mohammed Ali). My Dad's advice really changed my life.

In my opinion, it is imperative that you encourage your child to stand up for them self. I was bullied by a group of teenagers when I was young (6 or 7). It lasted for years. My parents, while having the best intentions, offered me little more than "ignore them and they will leave you alone" in the form of advice. I followed their advice, and ignored the verbal punishment. I walked away, and as a consequence I have incredibly low confidence and self-esteem. My mature brain now continues the bullying. I no longer have a group of teenagers to make fun of me each day, instead I have a voice in the back of my head pointing out all of my flaws, telling me I'm not good enough, and beating me down every second that I am awake. I am not a parent, but I think that it is imperative for a child to learn to stand up for them self. In fact, I think that the handling of bullies may be one of the most important feats a child will ever have to undertake. The consequences of how bullies are handled will be felt throughout the person's entire life. In conclusion, I think it is imperative that parents realize that being bullied is not simply environmental: the child is not a dog that is left outside for the night. He won't be fine the next day when he is brought back into the house and sits next to the warm fire. How a bullying situation is handled will seriously effect the interpersonal relationships that he will have later in life. Not sure how much of that makes sense, but it is written from heart and personal experience.