JOIN USDid you know that around 2.7 million students are being bullied every year in schools? Such staggering numbers have put real focus on the serious issue of bullying.
Bullying is the act of intimidating someone to gain apparent power. It can exist in many forms such as physical, verbal and social. With its roots spreading fast and wide, bullying is every parent’s worst nightmare.
Many students skip school every day because of this heinous practice. Kids who are bullied can feel like they are lonely, different, powerless and nervous. Constant bullying can leave an indelible mark on a child’s mind, making him feel unloved and alien.
One of the major reasons for the flourishing of bullies is technology. The way children take to the modern gadgets these days is saddening. Some popular cartoons even portray violence as comical and indirectly, encourage the young ones to follow.
Too much TV viewing also leads to the assumption that bullies are heroes and leaves a false impression on the young minds.
Families going nuclear
Another reason for the rise in bullies is the concept of nuclear families. With
parents at work most of the time and no grandparents, children have a free reign.
In the early days, grandparents used to recite stories from our great epics, which advocated strong ethical and moral values. Now, thanks to the nuclear family model, children miss out on learning such important, life-altering lessons.
Generally, the well-behaved, intelligent children are targeted by bullies. While every parent wants to protect his kid from such anti-social elements, it isn’t possible to be there for the children every time. So, what’s the solution?
Apart from building confidence in the children by encouraging them to find intelligent solutions to the bullying problem, it is important for parents and teachers to try and see the problem from the perspective of the bullies.
Parents of course, can only imagine and cannot always be armed with first-hand information about the background from which bullies come from, unless they know the child’s parents personally. In this regard, the teacher might be able to fill in the gap better.
This is possible as they get to interact with a variety of parents and children. By establishing a trustworthy dialogue with the bully, the teacher could ascertain the reasons for his behaviour and possibly correct it.
The children who bully others, generally are the kids who seek others’ attention and are longing for love. Punishing them is not the solution. Reaching out to them and offering emotional support over a long term could remedy the problem.
One of the easiest solutions to tackle bullying would be to devote some quality time to the kids. Quality time is not just about doing an activity with the child, but also getting to know him in all respects. What the young children need is love and affection and not mere gadgets.
Complementing this effort would be moral education classes in the school. Fun, interactive classes that preach qualities like patience, respect, obedience, politeness, humility, responsibility and some good manners will go a long way in moulding fine personalities.
While many resolve the issue of bullying through the above methods, many actually resort to home-schooling as a solution to such harassment. But this is actually ineffective. Children need to learn to live in a social environment and homeschooling is detrimental to that quality.
Parents, do remember that no two kids can be identical in all aspects. The differences make for a good relationship always. So, while you homeschool your child, remember that you are stealing away precious character-building moments from him.
All said and done, resorting to bullying is as wrong as facing it silently. So, follow these methods, keep an open mind and end this vicious practice. Let the children lead happy lives.