As a parent, you want to protect your children. And you’d like to think that if someone were threatening them or being mean, they’d tell you or a teacher. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.
Kids get scared – sometimes the bully threatens further harm if they tell. Sometimes they’re just embarrassed. Worst case they try to tell a teacher and are ignored or not believed.
Here are 10 warning signs that could indicate your child is being bullied:
1: Coming home with torn or damaged clothing and/ or missing belongings. Sometimes kids play rough or have accidents, and we all know they are prone to losing things. But if they don’t have a reasonable explanation for how the damage occurred, you might want to investigate further.
2: Frequent headaches / stomachaches, especially in the mornings (trying to avoid going to school.) Sometimes these are fake, sometimes not. They could be genuinely caused by anxiety. Again, sometimes this is just the normal childhood dislike of school. But if it happens all the time, there may be a serious reason why the child doesn’t want to go.
3: Changes in eating habits. Suddenly your child just “isn’t hungry.” Or, they come home ravenous because they haven’t had lunch. Are they too anxious to eat? Is their lunch or lunch money being taken?
4: Trouble sleeping, frequent nightmares or complaints of headaches. Adults know all too well how it feels when worry keeps you awake. Sometimes children are able to block abuse from their minds while they’re busy with daily activities. But at night – just like it is for mom and dad – the quiet time is when the mind will not be ignored.
5: Falling grades, missing schoolwork and REALLY not wanting to go to school. It’s hard enough for an adult to concentrate on tasks when riddled with anxiety. But at least we have experience with it – children often don’t. And they just don’t know how to cope.
6: Loss of friends or avoidance of social situations. Victims often lose the few friends they have. Other kids don’t want to be associated with victims or they’re afraid it’s “catching.” Victims seldom become “loners” by choice.
7: Plummeting self esteem and feelings of helplessness and despair. Being bullied is demoralizing. It makes a child feel weak and helpless, and this feeling will begin to carry over to other areas of his or her life. Signs of this could include trying to harm themselves, talking about hurting themselves, or even running away.
8: Overall general fear. Suddenly, your child is afraid of things that used to be ok – walking to the bus stop, riding the bus, participating in the sports or clubs he or she is a part of.
9: Moodiness/ depression/ sadness. Your child is tearful or angry for no apparent reason – especially when first getting home. Most telling, they won’t say what’s wrong.
10: Begins to bully others. It’s a sad fact of life that most bullies have been bullied themselves. They see turning the tables and bullying someone else as the only way to overcome the feelings of powerlessness they feel.
Many of these signs by themselves can just be a normal part of childhood – especially as children arrive at puberty. So its not time to spring into action just because one or two may fit your child. But it is cause for investigation – what’s causing the issue? IS it just puberty or “growing pains,” or is there a real problem?
How To Bully-Proof Your Child
Predators like to pick on the weak – it’s yet another sad fact of life. The best way to keep your child from being bullied is to ensure that he or she knows how to protect themselves. Because the strategy of notifying an adult and depending on them for protection only works AFTER a threat has been communicated or carried out.
This is why we believe so strongly in the benefits of the Ninja Self Defense program for children. This martial art develops their confidence while building strength – not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Because most bullies attack all 3 areas.
For more information on enrolling your child, fill out the form to the right or call us at (910) 488-1021.
