Alison Pretty RMT

🩵 Bullying 🩵

My daughter competed in and won her schools Speech Competition yesterday! 🏆

Her winning was an exciting addition to this moment, but I am most proud of her for doing her speech in front of a room full of her peers (no younger grades were at the assembly) AND her bully. 🥰

The courage it took to present a speech about not only how bullying affects those who suffer it but also about why people become bullies and the emotional and physical effects it has on both children was all I wanted for her to gain out of this experience. 💓

Her speech empowered her and others like her to take back their power! 💞 It also cast a light on the data driven and statistical reasons that children become bullies. 🔦

Her words were so impactful that a student who frequently bullies kids was brought to tears, which was heart breaking 💔 and it got me thinking….

How many parents don’t know that their child is a bully? 🤔

Turns out only 14% of parents whose children are bullies acknowledge that they bully. The key word here being acknowledge. Researchers found that it was hard to gage as parents tend to feel judgemental or blame when asked about their child’s behaviour. The causes of bullying are well documented and researched so it’s understandable that a parent might feel this way. 💕

If you are concerned that your child may be bullying others there are some things you can look out for;

- Your child is aggressive or has difficulty regulating emotions.
- Your child frequently bullies siblings or young family members.
- Your child has a strong need to dominate or control
- Your child is very focused on being cool or social status.

This is of course, not an extensive list nor does it mean that if your child exhibits one of these characteristics that they are for sure bullying. This list is simply meant as a guide to lead you to start asking questions if you believe your child might be bullying.

There are programs available to help support you and your child. This doesn’t have to be a lifelong experience for either of you.

I can’t get my daughter speech out of my head. I hope this was enlightening and helpful to someone.

Have a Onederful weekend!

~ Alison