So many parents have reached out to me throughout the years in search of an answer to stop their kids from being bullied. Either more people are reporting bullying or more kids are getting bullied. It is really hard for parents because when they step in at their child's school, there's a good chance their child will get bullied even more. I wish I had the solution.
FROM SCIENCE DAILY: Many wonder why bullies bully, but a new study looks at the other side of the equation: How do children respond to bullying and why? The answer, researchers say, may lead to more effective interventions to reduce the negative consequences -- and perhaps even the frequency -- of bullying.
Consciously or not, children tend to adopt one of three approaches, University of Illinois psychology professor Karen Rudolph said. "Some are focused on developing their relationships. They want to improve their social skills. They want to learn how to make friends," she said.
Others are most interested in "demonstrating their competence," she said. They may try to demonstrate their competence by enhancing their status or seeking approval from their peers. "These are kids who say: 'I want to be cool. I want lots of kids to like me. I want to hang out with the popular kids.' "
Or they may try to demonstrate their competence by avoiding negative judgments. "These are the kids who say, 'I'm not going to do anything that's going to draw negative attention, that's going to make me look like a loser, that's going to embarrass me,'" Rudolph said.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen
