4 Troubled Teens Blog

Many Parents in Denial about Children's Bullying

Is your child a bully? If asked directly about their kids’ behavior, few parents would readily admit that anything’s wrong. But in surveys, more than 70 percent of teenagers say they’ve been bullied at school. Someone’s doing it. Could it be your child?

“The family is Ground Zero for learning about emotional responses and relationships. If a parent consistently yells or uses verbal threats, emotional blackmail or physical violence to manipulate family members, that’s what the child learns. And that learned aggression is likely to come to school with him/her.” [Source: More Marin (CA)]

Similarly, if your child is demanding, aggressive or otherwise unkind at home, chances are she’s like that at school, too. Be careful, however, not to label your child as a “bad kid”. Address his negative behaviors, but make sure he knows that you believe he can be a better person.


 

Labels: bullying, awareness

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton

Comments:

former_teacher on 7/29/2010
Ask any teacher about the prevalence of parental denial, & be prepared for a looooong conversation. So many parents either can't or won't take a realistic look at their children -- and this "protection" has the ability to visit significant harm on the children later in life. Bullying in middle school or high school is dangerous, but hopefully still correct-able. By the longer this dangerous behavior goes unchallenged, the greater the likelihood that it is going to cause real and lasting damage to both the perpetrator and his/her victim(s).