If you as a parent or a teacher
have been at a loss for developing strategies to help your children deal with
bullying, the new year is a fresh place to start. My anti-bullying book, The Bully and the Booger Baby: A Cautionary
Tale, is a fiction school story about a bully and the children whom he
targets. It also includes a chapter of strategies to help children, parents,
and schools better address the bullying problem. Below is a small excerpt from
the non-fiction / strategy chapter of the book:
There is no shame in being the
victim of a bully. The shame is on the bully, not the victim. Parents and
teachers should help and encourage their children or students in trying some of
the following strategies to cope with bullies:
·
Ignoring
the bully and simply walking away from his or her harassment may work with some
bullies.
·
Another
simple strategy is to tell the bully, as firmly as possible, to stop. Many
bullies stop bullying within 10 seconds when someone tells them to stop.
·
Using humor might get the bully to
stop as well. The victim making a joke or laughing at himself can
be an effective defense. Bullies often give up when they don't get
the expected response from their intended victim.
·
Victims
of bullies should always stick with a friend at recess, lunch, in the
hallways, on the bus, or when walking home. The risk of being targeted is much
greater if the victim is alone.
·
Targets
of bullies should make friends and socialize with those friends outside of
school so that they can maintain a strong social
support system.
Victims
shouldn't retaliate against a bully or let him see how upsetting the harassment
is. When a bully suspects he’s made his target afraid or upset, he’s likely to
torment even more. Victims should remain calm, respond firmly, or say
nothing at all. Then, as suggested before, walk away, if possible
This book is available in paperback and ebook
formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million. I am providing here the Amazon link.
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