The End to Bullying Starts At Home

TPNN recently held our regular Nanny Get Together and was honored to have Daniela Redpath, Vice President of Teach Anti-Bulling, Inc. speak to us about recognizing the signs of bullying and how to get involved to stop the vicious cycle. Redpath, along with President and Founder, Dr. Claudio Cerullo, formed the non-profit organization in late 2011. After watching her son, who suffers from Asperger’s, be a victim of bullying in his younger years, Redpath decided to change her career paths and help families in need. Their goal was help children and families who have been, or are currently, affected by bullying.

            Teach Anti-Bullying, Inc. goes into the community and local schools to raise awareness about bullying. They stress that if the lines of communication are not open at home, they will not be applied in the classroom. It is the parents’ and caregivers’ job to get involved. Redpath emphasized that children need two things, empowerment and conviction. During the younger years, children need to know that parents cannot solve all of their problems. They need to be able to express their emotions when they feel they are a victim of bullying, in a non-violent manner, and then have a conversation with an adult about how they handled the situation. For the kids doing the bullying, they have to be taught at a young age that their behavior is unacceptable.

            As children get older, parents and caregivers need to become more involved, clarify the lines of respect and disrespect, and notice for changes in behavior. Children usually do not tell an authority figure when they are being bullied because of fear of retribution. It is up to the adults in their lives to notice changes. This includes teachers because 33% of children in grades third through fifth admitted that bullying happens in the classroom with the teacher present. Some signs of bullying may include ripped clothes, odd attire, missing items, lack of interest in school, circle of friends changing, method of transportation changing, grades drastically suffering, nightmares, or sleep trouble.

            Signs of bullying are usually mirrored in home behaviors. Respectful children are less likely to be school bullies. Disrespectful, rude, violent, or out of control kids are usually the same at home and at school. When kids arrive home, parents and caregivers need to ask questions. Ask what happened at school, who did they eat lunch with, how was the school bus ride, and who did you sit next to? Willingness to share this type of information opens the lines of communications. Adults also should be aware that girls tend to use cyber bullying, the newest form of bullying, more frequently with 51% of girls cyber bullying as opposed to 37% of boys.

            Parents and caregivers are responsible for noticing the signs of a bullied child or a child doing the bullying. The age of suicide because of bullying or tormenting has gotten younger. Children with low self-esteem become adults with low self-esteem and child bullies become adult bullies. All children have to be taught empathy, compassion, and respect. Just as Redpath stressed, children have to be taught empowerment from a young age. A little courage can go a long way and Redpath said it best with the advice she gave her son to make him feel special and confident when he was a victim of bullying, “You’re not disabled, you’re differently abled.”

Visit: www.teachantibullying.com