Helathy+4SummerFall2023spreadsfinal - Flipbook - Page 6
Bullying
Learn the signs
W
hile for many kids the start of a new
Do’s and Don’ts for helping a bullied child
school year brings on feelings of
If you learn your child is being bullied at school,
excitement and anticipation, for far
the most important thing you can do is be a calm,
too many others, the primary emotion experienced
listening, and positive source of reassurance that
is dread.
things can get better. Some the key do’s and don’ts
That’s because for 22% of students between the
for dealing with the issue include:
ages of 12 and 18, school is a place where they
DO’s
regularly experience bullying.
• DO listen to them and believe them
From name calling on the bus and spreading
• DO assure them that being bullied is not their fault
rumors in the hall, to being excluded from games
on the playground and actual physical acts of
• DO make a plan with the child about how to
aggression, bullying is more than just a moment
react in the future (role play and scripting can
of discomfort or embarrassment. In fact, students
be helpful)
who are subject to bullying frequently suffer
academically.
Dr. Meghan Gunn, a pediatrician at
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
(SVMC), explains, “Bullied students
often experience physical symptoms
Kids aren’t always fohcoming about what’s going on at school,
like stomach aches, headaches, and
which is why it’s impoant to learn to recognize signs of bullying.
difficulty sleeping. When you
These include:
add this to the anxiety they’re
• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to
feeling about going to school
go to school
•
Sudden loss of friends or interest in going to social events
or participating in class, it’s no
• Unexplained injuries
wonder they lose interest in
• Lost or destroyed books, clothing, electronics, etc.
their studies or, when possible,
• Frequent headaches, stomach aches, general complaints of
skip school. As a result, they
feeling sick, or faking illness
fall behind, which further
• Changes in eating habits including skipping meals or binge eating.
(Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not
contributes to their low selfeat lunch.)
confidence. It’s a vicious cycle
• Difficulty sleeping and/or nightmares
that, over time, can lead to
• Decreased self esteem
depression, suicidal thoughts,
• Self-harming behaviors such as running away, cuing,
and even violent outbursts.”
disordered eating, or talking of suicide
Is my kid
being bullied?
4 | HEALTHY+ | SUMMER–FALL 2023