- Do not confront the suspected bully or bullies on your own; this may just make things worse for your child.
- Ask your child what is happening and how they are feeling.
- Role play with your child and discuss ways they can respond to a bully; some ideas may include walking away, telling an adult, or asking for help from peers.
- Teach your child that it is not tattling to tell on a bully; help them understand how "telling" is the first step to stopping the bully.
- Help your child deal with any shame or embarrassment caused by the bullying; even victims of bullying tend to blame themselves; assure your child that he/she did not cause the bully to pick on him/her.
- Encourage your child to talk with friends about bullying; bullies rarely target students in groups, so having a peer group is helpful in avoiding being a target.
- Be sure there is adequate supervision in outside activities.
- Report incidents of bullying to school officials; enlist their help in monitoring and addressing the bullying.
- If this is a neighborhood/community problem, talk with the bully's parents so they become aware of the problem; they may not know.
- Seek outside help; this is not easy work; your school's counselor, social worker, or psychologist may be able to assist; you may also want to engage outside counseling to remediate any possible long-term effects of bullying.
National Mental Health and Education Center, National Association of School Psychologists, Bullies and Victims: Information for Parents