Signs of 4 common types of bullying children may encounter at school

MagazineParentsPoint out four types of bullying your child may encounter at school so parents can recognize the signs and find effective ways to deal with it.

Verbal bullying

In this form, children often receive insulting, disrespectful, and even threatening comments. These comments are often directed at appearance, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or physical defects. For example, a child tells another child, "You're really, really fat, and so is your mom."

Children who are being verbally bullied often show signs of moodiness and wanting to change their school environment. They may tell you about the things that hurt them and ask if you think they are true.

Shane Jimerson, a psychologist and professor at the University of California - Santa Barbara (USA), believes that the best protection parents can provide for their children is to encourage their confidence, independence and readiness to act when necessary. Teach your child how to use phrases to talk back to bullies, such as "That's not cool", "Leave me alone" ...

Another important thing you should do is teach them about respect. Show them how to treat people well so they understand that bullying is not okay.

Bullying in the form of physical violence

In this form, a child is threatened to do something, or may be hit, kicked, pushed, touched, or otherwise subjected to unwanted and inappropriate physical contact. For example, a child is forced to pull down his pants in the middle of the playground during lunchtime.

Many children are too afraid to tell their parents about this form of bullying. So, keep an eye out for signs like unexplained cuts, scratches, bruises, missing or damaged clothing, frequent headaches or stomachaches...

If you suspect physical abuse, talk to your child in a casual way, asking him or her about what happened at school, during lunch, recess, or on the way home. Emphasize the value of open communication so that your child is willing to share with you, teachers, and school counselors.

Once your child has opened up, be sure to document the time of the incident, the response from those involved, and the action taken. Do not contact the bully’s parents to resolve the issue on your own. If your child continues to be physically hurt and you need additional support outside of school, contact local law enforcement for prompt action.

Bullying related to relationships

Your child may be intentionally excluded from joining a group, ostracized, excluded from playing games, sports, social activities, eating lunch together...

If this happens, children often have emotional and mood changes, withdraw from certain groups, and become more isolated than usual. Children who are ostracized in this way often suffer from severe trauma such as physical violence, and the trauma can even last longer.

To help your child, make it a habit to talk to them every night. Help them find things that make them happy, point out their positive qualities, and let them know that there are people who love and care about them.

In addition, you should focus on developing your child's talents and interests in music, art, reading, and after-school activities so that your child can build relationships outside of school.

Online Bullying

Your child is being bullied online, threatened by spreading lies, falsehoods through emails, text messages and social media posts. Your child will hear and read messages directed at him/her related to issues such as sex, racism, homophobia creating a hostile atmosphere. For example, a child posted on Twitter "Kayden is a total loser. Why does anyone still play with him"?

To tell if your child is being bullied in this way, look for increased time on social media or texting, followed by sadness and anxiety. Also look for trouble sleeping, wanting to stay home, and not wanting to participate in favorite activities.

Threats and bullying messages spread anonymously and can quickly lead to your child being hurt. So first establish family internet safety rules with age-appropriate time limits in mind. You should also research websites, apps, and digital devices before letting your child use them.

Let your child know that you will monitor their online activity. Tell them that if they encounter threats, they should not reply to or forward the message, email, or post. Instead, they should report it so you can print out the offending posts with a clear timeline.

You should report any threats your child experiences to their school and online service provider. If the threats continue to escalate, contact local law enforcement.