Child Bullying: What Are The Warning Signs?

Bullying is probably one of the most serious problems your child could ever experience. You may find this article helpful to identify some of the signs that may indicate your child is being bullied.

First of all, bullying includes any behavior that intimidates or causes your child distress, hurt or pain whether emotionally, physically or a combination of these. There is no single reason why a child may be susceptible to bullying. For instance, a child may be bullied because they wear glasses, or because of their physical appearance, religion, race, signs of poverty, family break-up, being shy or simply quiet. The bully usually picks on a child that stands out to be different from other children and so they feel they can easily bully them.

It is a fact that bullying can destroy the confidence of a child thus leaving them feeling worthless, frightened, withdrawn and alone. The consequences of bullying if not stopped quickly could impact on a child for many years.

Numerous surveys of groups of children have been undertaken in the recent past and many conclude that more than half said that they had been bullied at school. Despite most schools having an anti-bullying policy, it would appear that bullying continues to be a major issue for children of all ages.

As parents, one of the most important things that needs to be learnt is being able to recognize the signs that might indicate that your child is being bullied in school, or indeed any club or society that your child may attend. Whilst these signs do not automatically point to bullying, they nevertheless can be a useful indicator. These are the signs to look out for:

Reduced appetite.

Has low self-esteem when previously this appeared good.

Not sleeping well and/or having bad dreams.

. A change in your child's behavior such as being moody, depressed, tearful or quiet and withdrawn when he/she comes home.

Feeling sick when they get up, or has a headache, or stomach ache, and therefore does not want to go to school.

Your child has unexplained cuts and bruises.

Takes a different walking route to school than previously.

Fewer friends than before, or no friends at all.

Poor sleeping pattern and having bad dreams.

A loss of appetite.

Has unexplained cuts and bruises.

Interest in school work and school grades have fallen recently.

Walks to school using a differant route than used previously.

Unexplained cuts and bruises.

Interest in school work has deteriorated and school grades have recently fallen.

Modern technology is wonderful and nowadays many children have a cell/mobile phone and Internet access. Children often share their phone and email details with their friends, but friendships can easily be broken and their personal information can be used against them to cause distress.

Therefore, does your child own a cell/mobile phone? It could be your child is receiving regular insulting, threatening or vulgar text messages. The bully may also leave unpleasant messages on the answer phone. So, is this happening to your child?

Your child may also be bullied by receiving threatening emails or there may be a very unpleasant campaign carried out by several children against your child through emails or through unmonitored Internet chat rooms. In this regard, parents clearly need to closely monitor the use of these modern methods of communication by their children.

Your child may be suffering as a result of being bullied but it may not be bullying either. It could be that your child is medically unwell. As a parent you are in the best position to find out what the problem really is.

You will be able to confirm or otherwise whether or not your child is being bullied only when you carry out a careful and thorough investigation. When you have identified any problem you will then be able to take whatever action is needed to remedy the situation for your child. It is vital for your child that you do not leave anything to chance so be vigilant and take action when necessary.

Article Source: http://mylilpeanut.com

About the author: Florrie Poff can help you to defeat child bullying. For Defeat Bullying Strategies subscribe to her Defeat Bullying Newsletter and download Two Free eBook Chapters
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