Cyberbullying: Protecting Your Child From The Threats of Technology

Previously bullying was just a childhood nuisance which bruised and battered ones ego a bit, but you eventually grew up and grew out of it. Now, child  bullying in school or anywhere else has taken on a more sinister look with claws so sharp that they scar for life. Not only is child bullying in school has become more vicious and destructive, its play area too has expanded. Now bullying doesn’t just rear its evil head in the school yard or the local playgrounds, your child can fall prey to this predator within the safety and security of your own home as well. In fact, cyberbullying recently took center stage when it was discovered to be the reason behind suicide of several teenagers.

For a parent this is a scary situation, since very few teenagers will ask an adult to intervene in their issues voluntarily. This is even more so where bullying is concerned, mostly teens avert involving a parent into this situation because to them it signifies their inability to handle their own lives and secondly because cyberbullying is usually associated with some highly embarrassing aspect of their student or social lives. Very few children get bullied only by complete stranger, whether is playground bullying or cyberbullying, the culprit is usually known to the victim. Which is often why it is even more hurtful and damaging, since the teen is losing face and place amongst peers.

There are some things you need to know about how to prevent bullying and protecting your child from bullying . You may not be able to eradicate it completely, since evil has no end and you or your child have no control over the actions of the perpetrator. However, what you can do is teach your child the priceless lesson of controlling his or her response towards bullying, if done right this tactic could prove to be an invincible armor.

Listening With Your Eyes & Ears

When a child is being bullied, they are having their fragile ego eaten into by cruel and relentless taunting. In such a situation what they need the most is validation, so when your teen is telling you about a bullying episode in school or online, the worst thing you can do is laugh it off or disregard it as trivial. This makes the teen feel like they have been abandoned. So listen! Not just with your ears but what your kids body language as well. Sometimes children will down play the severity of a situation to seem tough, what can give them away is their body language-so pay attention. If ever now is the time for you to make them feel that you KNOW what they are going through.

Relate not Retaliate

Remember to keep your feeling out of this situation, if you were bullied as a child dont let your personal feeling cloud your response. If you over react in the initial stages, the teen might feel compelled not to tell you anything for fear of upsetting you. So as difficult as it might be to know how your child is being victimized, keep a lid on your personal feeling. Do not vent against the bully or his family or try to sort the situation out on your own by confronting the bully.

Begin from your own Backyard

If the bullying was happening at school only or online, if it was being done by a school or classmate, you could request a teacher or the school administration to step in and intervene. But bullying is something that can happen anywhere and in any stage of life, so instead of buying your kid a loaded gun for protection throughout his or her life, the best thing to do is build resilience in them. Teach then the fine art of passive-aggressive responses.  Bulling thrives on the victim’s response, once the victim learns to face up to his or her demons, the bully will lose his power over them. Contriving a stressed out or panicky response out of its victim is the bully’s only oxygen.

These were just some of the things you can do to protect your teen from bullying. Remember, it is not just your maternal instincts to be protective of your child, in such scenarios it’s the call of the day. So be vigilant

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