A Bullied Child May Show These Behaviours

Your child is a priority, and you do everything you can to keep him or her safe and happy.  However, you can’t control how other kids treat their peers and a bullied child is not good.

Bullying can happen on the playground and over the Internet.  It is hurtful on many levels, and it’s important to know how to help your child when it occurs.

Because it can feel shameful, kids may not feel comfortable talking to adults about it.  This makes it critical to recognize potential warning signs of a bullied child.

Signs Of A Bullied Child

If you’re worried that your child may be experiencing bullying, there are three things to watch for.  Emotional symptoms, behavioral changes and physical indications.

Emotional Change

The first category includes noticeable emotional changes, such as mood swings, angry outbursts, and bouts of depression.  However, these types of symptoms can stem from a variety of causes and may not be reliable predictors of a bullying problem.

Behavioral Change

Behavioral changes can also be chalked up to myriad causes.  Nonetheless, if you notice significant changes in your child’s behavior — especially in conjunction with emotional symptoms — you might want to investigate further.

Changes in behavior seen in bullied children can include:

• a loss of sleep or, conversely, an inordinate amount of sleep;
• falling grades and a reluctance to go to school;
• withdrawal from friends, family, and activities that previously made the child happy;
• and a tendency to “lose” important belongings.

Physical Indications

Sometimes, the supposed “loss” of items due to bullying can have physical implications.  If you send your child to school with plenty of lunch money or an ample meal prepared at home but he or she comes home complaining of hunger, you might consider speaking to school authorities.

More obvious signs — such as unexplained cuts or bruises — are another indication that something is wrong.

Effects On A Bullied Child

While it is innately harmful to victims, bullying can be more insidious than some think.  Bullies prey upon insecurities.

Consistent or constant bullying can cause the following much deeper issues, including:

• eating disorders,
• self-harm,
• social isolation,
• poor academic performance,
• addiction.

Bullying has devastating potential consequences.  Therefore, it is important to catch bullying problems as quickly as possible.  Not only that, deal with them effectively and compassionately to help a bullied child.

Take Action If Your Child Is Bullied

To combat the deleterious effects of bullying;

• The first and most important step is to have strong, sensitive, open communication with your child. Teaching kids to be assertive but kind is a key life skill, even if they never have to face a bully.
• Make sure your kids know their worth and are aware of which behaviors are acceptable — and which are unacceptable.
• When your child is being bullied, reach out to the school to report the problem.  If this approach is not enough, it could be worthwhile to start a conversation with the parent of a bully.  But remember, bullies, are often experiencing some form of abuse themselves.

Check out the accompanying resource to learn more.

Conclusion

A bullied child is a problem in any family.  From mental health issues, eating disorders and missing out on education through non-attendance at school.

It is important to recognize the signs of bullying and have some tools to help your child deal with it.  Modern bullies use many methods to attack their prey.  In fact, internet usage now means that a bullied child is targeted 24 hours a day.

If you think your child is being bullied, it is important to get them help as soon as possible to avoid long-term issues.