Bully Advice For Kids

Discover how a bully becomes a bully and what can a child do to stop a bully.

by Kathy Noll- author of the book: "Taking The Bully By The Horns"

BULLIES CAN MAKE YOU FEEL:

How A Bully Becomes A Bully

• He (or she) is angry. Someone might have bullied him in the past.
• He has a low self-esteem. He thinks controlling you will help him feel better about himself.
• He might have been exposed to a lot of violence in the media. (TV, books...) A lot of movies make violence look cool. But if you look closer, the "good guy" is always cooler!
• His (or her) friends, or peers, could be a "bad" influence, talking him into doing things he may, or may not, understand are wrong.
• His caretakers might have lacked in supervision. They might have been too busy to teach him how wrong it is to hurt others. Or maybe they spoiled him, making him think he can do anything he wants, including bullying!

What To Do About Bullies

• Inform your teachers & parents. If his bullying is physical or violent, tell them not to give your name. That could make the bully Knight in Shining Armormore angry, and then he'll come after you harder.
• Travel to school or social events in groups. Don't walk alone.
• Avoid the bully at all costs.
• Ignore him. That will take away his power he "thinks" he has over you. He'll get bored, and go look for someone else to pick on.
• Confront him with the problem. Do this only if the bullying is mental, not physical. Maybe you can explain how it makes you feel. If he doesn't care, and continues to bully you, report him, and avoid him.
• Take a safety training workshop. This should only be used as a last resort (in self-defense). Using this to show off for your friends, or simply because someone made you angry, could lead to lawsuits, and YOU becoming a bully!

Take care of yourselves & stay safe. : )

Kathy Noll has written a series of articles on bullies and how to deal with bullies.

• Child on Child Violence
• Help For Parents and Teachers On Dealing With Bullies and School Violence
• Empowering Kids to Deal with Bullies and Low Self-esteem
• Bully Advice For Kids

If you'd like to learn more about bully and self-esteem issues, purchase Kathy Knoll's book: Taking The Bully By The Horns.