Monday, January 4, 2016

Helping Children Deal with Bullying in 2016







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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