Bullying: What it is, How
to Prevent it and What to
Do if it Exists
What is Bullying?
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Bullying is when a person (or more than one person)
intentionally makes another person feel less powerful or
important.
There is often repetition to this interaction.
It can be physical, verbal, social or today’s commonly
occurring cyberbullying.
Bullying can and does happen everywhere – no one is
immune to it.
The effects of bullying can be serious and long lasting.
Bullying Characteristics
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Negative interaction for the victim and it can be
negative for bystanders
Aggressive
Happens more than once
Interaction is unprovoked
Victim has hard time defending him/herself
Often done out of sight of adults
Often not share with parents – children don’t tell
Bullying, Teasing, Fighting
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It is not all the same.
Teasing occurs within a child’s social group
and is often innocent.
Fighting involves physical altercations
between children.
Bullying is an imbalance of power, is
aggressive and occurs more than once.
The Damaging Effects of
Bullying on the Victim
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Students may be fearful of attending school,
riding the bus, using the bathroom or being
alone in the hallway.
Bullying can cause children to experience:
fear, depression, loneliness, anxiety, low
self-esteem, physical illness, and in some
cases even suicidal ideation, attempts and
completions.
4 Types of Bullying
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Physical: punches, kicks, pulling out chair, trips,
shoving
Verbal: name calling, threats, racial slurs,
homophobic slurs
Social: being excluded from events, lying,
spreading rumors, causing embarrassment and/or
humiliation, making faces behind back
Cyberbullying: using technology to bully,
especially using social media sites along with
mobile phones
How to Recognize if your Child
is…
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Being Bullied:
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Does not want to go to school and has few
friends;
Complains of physical ailments;
Has difficulty concentrating on schoolwork;
Is missing personal belongings;
Has trouble sleeping or eating; and/or
Appears sad, frightened and/or depressed.
How to Recognize if your Child
is…
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A Bully:
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Has positive views towards violence
Acquires new possessions and/or money that cannot
be explained;
Has a home life that has verbal and/or physical
aggression and/or low parental involvement;
Has a social circle that accepts bullying;
Has a marked need to control and dominate others
and situations; and/or
Is hot tempered, impulsive, easily frustrated, often
breaks rules and has trouble accepting responsibility
for actions.
What Can Parents Do
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Before you are even aware of any situation, parents
must communicate with their children.
Open, honest and comfortable communication is
critical – talk about bullying.
Role play various scenarios with your children.
Have open ended conversations with your child every
day:
 Who did you have lunch with today?
 Who did you play with at recess?
 Do you ever notice any kids that get left out or
teased?
More Parents Can Do
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Eat dinner together as a family – without
electronics.
Lead by example – take an honest look at
yourself.
Value and demonstrate empathy, tolerance,
and acceptance.
Listen, listen, listen – without judgment.
Be honest about the situation.
And Still More Parents Can Do
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Help children with healthy self esteem
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Avoid conditional compliments.
Accept your child.
Foster independence.
Be realistic.
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Remember you’ll both make mistakes.
Say you are sorry when the fault is yours.
Discipline constructively.
Love abundantly.
Dealing with the Problem
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If your child is the bully, talk to him/her about rolereversal and how the other child is feeling. Require your
child to apologize to the child bullied. Let your child
know that bullying is unacceptable and provide a
consequence.
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If your child is being bullied, help your child practice
being assertive and staying in control.
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Teach by example – have your child see you solve a
conflict assertively, not aggressively.
Dealing with the Problem
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If your child is being bullied or is the bully, continue to
follow up and stay in touch with the school. Do not handle
this on your own or assume that because your child has
stopped talking about it that everything has been resolved.
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Seek professional help immediately if you have
concerns about depression, anxiety and/or
suicidal ideation/attempts.
Dealing with the Problem
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Empathetic children are not bullies. Teach your
children to be empathetic and caring.
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Visit the following websites for more information:
www.stopbullying.gov
www.pacer.org/bullying
www.cartoonnetwork.com/promos/stopbullying/documentary/index.html
www.wiredsafety.org
www.glsen.org/bullying
Contact SCAN
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FAM and Family Support Program
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Children’s Advocacy Center
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(804) 257-7226
(804)-643-7226
Websites
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www.grscan.com
www.FAMrichmond.org