Recently, my nephew was just bullied for being a little different by the way he answers the teachers questions and he's only 12 soon turning 13. I was really surprised and unaware because he is always so happy around me. I realized that it was probably harder for him to come tell me that he was being bullied since he is still young and afraid of being more picked on at school if he told a grown up. I was actually the first person he told and not too many days after, my other nephew told me that he was being bullied too.
The big question that they asked me was, "What should they do?"
These answers can relate to older and younger people. This can also help with even cyber bullying that is happening a lot more in our world of technology.
I notice that it's harder to know whom or when someone is getting bullied because they person being bullied is scared to say so like my nephews. I feel that it is important to listen and most importantly, be open-minded. This should kind of be step one because if you just assume right away, you forget what is really important which is making the person bullied feel comfort.
Afterwards, make a plan.
I don't mean, 'Get an army and go bully the bully."
Most people would assume so and when you're older, it may seem like the right thing but in reality, you are only causing more trouble. Especially for kids, you really just want to make sure they feel safe at school or wherever they are getting bullied wither it is the bus or even just walking home. Make sure you have a back-up plan like a "B" just in case it doesn't work or the bully doesn't listen.
If you are like my nephew who already told an adult at school, nothing is really being done, and your friends are also scared to help because they might get hurt, Tell someone like a family/relative you trust to come and talk to the school and parents of the bully. I know it may seem like a home stretch but I had to do this for him and I did tell my sister-in-law, of course, that I was doing this for my nephew. It may seem crazy but if in a high school situation this was happening, it just means you really have to tell you parents or siblings because in high school, you start to realize that, sometimes, not everyone will stop to help and maybe they will or won't but it really just depends.
The same is with cyber bullying. If you are being cyber bullied, you really have to think what is best for you by deleting your cyber bully. If that person still is bothering you somehow by telling lies to everyone about you, you just really have to stop whatever social networking you are doing wither it s Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr for a while because if you keep adding gas to the fire, the fire will only keep growing. Bullies are like small flames. You don't want to add your own flame and gas to theirs because it will only get bigger. Sometimes, you have to stop and walk away. Don't let it get to you. If you have friends, ask them to help you if they can.
Bullying is so bad right now in our society today and it will only get worse if all we do is sit around and watch it happen right in front of our eyes. As a girl, I feel like bullying happens a lot with 'hating' or 'disliking' because someone has the better stuff or even looks better. I admit, I get bullied too from online more than I do in person because the internet 'shows us' from pictures and not from 'personality.'
I can't say that I am perfect and that you will be alright.
Everyone will have a different pace of healing and re-grouping themselves together. Even now, my nephew has grown a fear of answering question in the classroom and I don't blame him from after being bullied. For each person, it takes a different time to heal and re-adapt themselves again to society. What I can say is that, one day, my nephew will be able to answer a question again in the classroom and I am not sure when that day comes but when it does, I am just going to be proud and happy for him.
I really wanted to talk about this in general because I've I feel like bullying is starting a lot younger now and not only that, this was they first time for me as a older teen/adult to see that even at school, the teachers or school took no action to help. It was actually really heartbreaking to see this happen in my community.
Hopefully this was helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at::
e-mail: itsfrany@gmail.com
If you want to leave it anonymous and you have a Tumblr, You can ask me on there too.
LINK: Ask me Anything - TUMBLR
XOXO, Frany
