Helping your child to confront bullies and deal with bullying
can be a challenging process, but is necessary to ensure your child's safety and
well-being:

·        
Talk
about bullying with your child, and have other family
members share their experiences. Offer unconditional support.

·        
Tell your child not to react to the bully and not give into their
demands: bullies find satisfaction in scaring others and forcing their victim
to cry or become visibly upset. Getting that response usually promotes more
bullying. You should teach your child to try to maintain her calm and simply
walk away. Then, your child should tell an adult (the teacher or supervisor) about
what is going on as soon as possible.

·        
If attempts at ignoring bullying prove to be ineffective, she
should become firm with the bully. Encourage your child to stands her
ground, look the bully in the eyes, and clearly and loudly say something like, "Stop
doing that now. If you keep on bothering me, I'm going to report you to the
principal (or another adult who happens to be nearby)." Or, "I'll
talk to you, but I'm not going to fight." A powerful statement can
make the bully leave your child alone. If your child is not accustomed to talking firmly, help
her rehearse what she will say if she is in a bullying situation.

·        
Encourage your child to make strong friendships, because having loyal friends lowers the likelihood
of getting bullied, and she'll have some peers who stand up for her when facing
a bully.

·        
Talk to your child's teacher or to the principal of the school
if the bullying situation keeps getting worse. It is their duty to ensure
a safe, supportive, and positive environment at school.

·        
Let the principal or teacher intervene when they spot bullying
behavior taking place on the school grounds. This is generally a better
approach than having you speak with the bullying child or his parents.