Bullying and Cyberbullying Sign and Symptoms
Bullying is a major problem among adolescents and teens.
Today bullying and cyberbullying include actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally and excluding them from a group on purpose. Bullying doesn’t always happen in person, it also occurs through social media platform, text messages and video games. Data shows that 1 out of 4 kids are being bullied, and 42 % are bullied on-line. When you give kids and teens a computer, tablet, or cell phone, digital responsibility is a must!
Has your child ever come home and told you that he/she is being bullied?
Parents need to watch for these symptoms and signs:
Refusing or not wanting to go to school
Complaining they feel sick or have a stomach ache
Frequent unexplained bedwetting
Feeling sad or lonely claiming they have no friends
I have worked with students who were bullied, one on one, group settings, and parent workshops. Parents need to sit down and listen to their children and then if necessary, contact your child’s school. Know your kids peers, develop a strong value system in your home, talk to your kids regularly, and stress to your kids and teens that you support school policies and rules that create a safe place for all students to learn.
I am a professional certified counselor with 40 years of experience in guidance and counseling helping adolescents and teens in the Miami-Dade County School system. I have worked many years helping children and teens who have been bullied by their peers. I currently work as a independent consultant and Children-Teen Life Coach for Mindbuilders, Inc. For more information or would like to consult with us for your child go to www.mindbuild.net or call (561) 287-2764.
