Counselor gives tips on how to talk to kids about bullying

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – For children and teens, school can be their whole world.

“They’re in school literally every single day for the majority of their time, like that is their social circle. So, if they are experiencing bullying, they’re likely going to be outcasted when they’re there,” Fatima Batool with RVA Counseling.

She said middle school is an especially crucial time for kids. At this age, they’re starting to figure out who they are.

“What they hear or what they experience through the way they’re treated with others, it starts to become their inner dialogue,” she said.

That inner dialogue can become an echo chamber of all the bad things they hear about themselves.

“So it might just feel like ‘do I belong anywhere?’” she said.

Those thoughts can manifest in self-isolation, not wanting to go to school, or a disinterest in the things they like to do.

“That gives you a lot of insight on like, does my child feel connected with the people around them, and if not, what’s going on?” Batool said.

But you want to be careful not to force them into talking about it.

“Regularly having check-ins, and quality time, and just feeling that sense of alliance,” she said.

So, how do you talk to your child about bullying if they are the bully?

One sign to look for is aggression towards others. If they are, Batool said, try asking questions like this.

“What’s hurting on the inside that’s leading all of this to pour out? And are we understanding how it’s affecting others? And is that a sense of release?” she said.

Batool also said parents should be models for their kids. A good way to do that is to educate yourself about different cultures, beliefs, or walks of life and then tell your child what you learned.

“So when they do come across someone who has those differences, they’re thinking of them as less than or differently,” she said.

With so many kids on the internet, you may wonder how to protect your child from cyberbullies.

Try monitoring the content your children consume and talking to them about following people who are uplifting and not negative, and who make them feel good about themselves.

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