Bullyproofing your child, it’s NEVER to early to start!

BULLYING has got competely out of control, precious children are losing their lives, and so often no physical contact is even involved. The internet can pack a much more powerful punch than a closed fist and can share humiliating vision that the world can view in a click.

Both of my daughters have been involved in bullying incidents at school, but fortunately they were minor and short lived incidents, and for that I am grateful. I have brought up my children to be self reliant, able to speak their mind and kept the lines of communication open so that they are used to talking to me about what is happening in their lives.

As parents, we always want the best for our kids, we want to give them all that we can, we try to protect them from harm and hope that they go on live happy and valuable lives. Bullying can become a very nasty glitch in their childhood years and the earlier we start to teach our children about ALL the aspects of bullying can possibly help them be more aware and better equipped to deal with this social issue. We not only want our children to bully proof, but on the flip side, we don’t want them to be the bullies causing grief either.

The earlier that children start to learn about what bullying is and the affect their behaviour can have on others the better off they will be. Below are some great places to start:-

WHAT IS BULLYING BEHAVIOUR?

• Taking toys that someone else is playing with
• Pushing
• Shoving
• Excluding anyone from a game or activity
• Calling names
• Pulling faces
• Damaging anothers possessions
• Not sharing
• Pulling hair
• Pinching
• Biting
• Slapping
• Hitting

Any of these behaviours are the start of bullying practice. Children need to learn that they are not acceptable and as a parent you need to choose the best way of teaching your children this message. Most importantly though, start including the word ‘bullying’ when you are dealing with these behaviours so that children start to get the message that bad behaviour and bullying are one and the same thing.

BODY LANGUAGE

From an early age, you can start to teach your children how hold themselves in a way that shows confidence to the people that are around them.

Explain to children that the body language they display, can speak much louder than words, and they won’t even be aware of it.

Help them to understand slouched shoulders and looking down = weak and scared, shoulders back and glaring = anger. Standing tall and straight, shoulders down, looking someone straight in the eye when they speak to you = calm and confident.

BE AWARE OF HOW YOU SPEAK TO THEM

Young children are like sponges, they take in everything that happens around them, sounds, sights, smells and scares are all banked into the subconsious and without realising it, these experiences can come to the surface later in life and the result is not always a positive one.

Even though kids can be frustrating at times, it is so important that we tread carefully with how we punish are chastise behaviour that is not too our liking. If we continually tell a child “you are hopeless” or “you are stupid” or anything along those lines on a regular basis, that memory will be imprinted in their subconsious and they will grow up believing they are hopeless or stupid.

It is important to teach children the error in their ways, be careful what phrases you use on a regular basis, and when they do something right make sure lot’s of loving praise flows their way, the subconscious remembers that too!!

I was fortunate enough to meet by chance a wonderful woman who has written a complete collection of programs that help your child learn about bullies and how to deal with them, ranging from 5 years to teens. She also created a ‘You Can Stop The Bully” show, which she asked me to perform (wow, right out of my comfort zone!), but I said yes, and now visit lots of Brisbane, early childhood centres and with the help of song, dance and poem, help young ones learn some valuable first steps on dealing with bullying.

If you would like to take a proactive step towards bullyproofing your child, these programs make learning fun and really are a valuable step towards your childs development. Take a positive step now and discover more at www.empoweringkidznow.com, your child is worth it.

Good Luck!