Bullying Prevention for Parents

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR PARENTS


PREVENTION

Be warm and loving towards your child. Spend time with your child. Praise and encourage your child with positive words and messages. Teach your child to respect himself or herself and others.

Teach and model:

o Effective communication skills.

o Appropriate interpersonal skills.

o Conflict resolution skills to resolve a difficult situation without using violence or aggression.

o Assertiveness skills - not aggressive skills.

o Anger management skills.

o Non-violent behavior and non-aggressive behavior.

Discourage other members of the family from using bullying behavior or aggression or force to get what they want. Use nonphysical and nonviolent consequences for negative behaviors. Attend classes to learn and/or update parenting skills. Monitor your child’s friends. Supervise and discuss TV shows, movies, and computer games regarding bullying themes. Attend school conferences and school events.

INTERVENTION

Listen to your child. Record details – who was involved, when did it occur, where did it occur, and what happened. Teach child strategies to recognize and avoid possible unsafe locations and students. Teach child to walk away and refrain from fighting back. Encourage your child to stay with a group of students. Discuss and role play positive strategies to use. Monitor regularly to see how things are going at school. Teach your child to seek help from the teacher, counselor, principal or another staff member. Arrange a conference with the teacher, counselor, and/or principal.

CYBER BULLYING AND CELL PHONE

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

Position computer in a location easily monitored by an adult. Install parental controls or filters to block unsuitable sites. Set guidelines and time limits for computer and cell phone use. Teach your child the correct use of a computer and cell phone. Teach your child the dangers of IM, text messaging, emailing, surfing, blogging, chatrooms, website, message boards, and other sites.

Teach your child the following:

o Personal information and contact information must never be shared.

o Pictures must never be sent.

o Everyone can read information.

o Anyone can forward information to anyone else.

o Anyone reading your blog can email you back.

o Use a nickname or a code in a chatroom, on Facebook, on-line games, etc.

o Pictures, items, and words posted on blog sites become the property of the parent company for that site.

o Sending threats via IM, texting, or e-mail are against the law.

o Never share your cell phone, lap top, or e-mail account with anyone.

o Explain the danger of child predators.

Check the sites that your child has visited. Teach your child to report to you any inappropriate material sent to them. Tell you child NEVER to reply to the bully or send a nastier message back. Email a request with you to the bully to STOP sending inappropriate messages. Save the inappropriate material and your request to stop. Identify the cyber bully. Remove the inappropriate material after it has been saved. Contact the cyber bully’s parents. Contact cell phone provider to trace calls and text (difficult sometimes if the bully has a pay-as-you go phone) or change telephone number. Contact internet service provider to trace emails or block messages. Contact the school and talk to the computer specialist. Contact the police.