Sticks and stones will break their bones, but names will never hurt them, right? Think again. Bullying has been around as long as kids have, but with the introduction of different forms of communication, it's risen to alarming levels. {relatedarticles}The implications of bullying and being bullied have grown more serious, as we see children committing suicide or violence against one another. So as adults, how can we prevent bullying and teach our kids how to deal with it? If kids are being bullied, then it's important to intervene. In fact, adults only intervene in 4 percent of bullying incidents, and peers intervene about 11 percent of the time, which leaves the child being bullied with a sense of isolation. It also may send the message that bullying is acceptable behavior. The best way to stop bullying is to never let it start. Discuss the issue with your child's school administrators and teachers before the school year begins and learn exactly how they deal with it and how they educate children to deal with it. Ignoring the behavior or letting kids work it out on their own simply gives other kids the freedom to bully others since they see adults and peers seemingly accepting the behavior.
If your child is a bully's target, then you should communicate as much as you can with the child, each day, about the situation. Talk to administrators immediately so that they can take action at school. Help them develop an answer to the question "Why are they doing this?" {relatedarticles}Help the child understand it's not his or her fault, and a sufficient answer to this question may just be "Some people just like being mean to others." Kids who bully should know the consequences and punishment for bullying before they start, and when they do, adults should punish swiftly, plus encourage a sense of guilt and remorse about the action and the impact that it had on the child who was bullied. Parents and school staff should be on the lookout for behavioral or mental disorders, like antisocialism, that may be to blame for the behavior. Keeping the lines of communication open between parents, schools and kids is key to preventing and stopping bullying.