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Signs Your Child is Being Bullied

With it being the beginning of the school year, it is important for you as parents and educators to understand the signs of a child being bullied. As I write this blog, I want every parent to know that there are many reasons for the behaviors mentioned below, so don’t assume it is bullying! Ask your child what is going on. Ask how you can help. These signs are to help you look for clues before things escalate as the school year moves on.

What to look for:

• Mood swings: often when a child is being bullied at school or online, they will act out or isolate themselves. So if your child is spending hours in their room or acting out, it might be a sign that something is going on.
• Drop in grades and attention in school. Children that are bullied often can’t focus and this might impact their grades or willingness to try at school
• Wanting to stay home from school or faking an illness. This is an easy one to spot and when your child refuses to go to school, sit down and chat with them about what is happening.
• Lost of appetite, appearing anxious, overly sensitive, or sleep deprived.
• Lack of self-esteem and more self doubt. Your child might say things like: “I am not good at anything”, “No one likes me”, ” I can’t do it”, “I am ugly, fat, or stupid”.  They can also say more severe stuff like, ” I am not worth anything”, ” If I die nobody would care!”. If your child says anything about suicide, ending their lives, or shows sign of depression, contact a professional or go onto this site to get the right help: suicidepreventionlifeline.org
• Spending hours online in their room isolated. Sometimes children that are bullied can spend hours online looking at the stuff the bully posted about them. Cyberbullying also has a virtual audience that adds to the bullying by commenting, sharing, and liking the posts. This can really harm a child and often they don’t know how to unplug. They will read, reread, and obsess over every single comment and this is a form of self-destruction. So be aware of your child spending too much time online.

Those are some signs that your child is being bullied. For a basic rule of thumb, if your child’s behavior is changing from normally displayed behaviors, something might be going on. So learn how to communicate with your child to give them the support and guidance they need. Parenting is a hard, full-time job so don’t try to do it all alone. Reach out and find the support you need.

– Dr. Kortney Peagram[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]