A relevant article to help parents deal with bullying situations.

1. A Parent Guide to Dealing with
Bullying
Herb Tannenbaum, Ph.D.

2. Do’s and Don’ts
• If you notice that your child is exhibiting signs
of being bullied
• If your child had come right out and told you
specific instances

3. DO
• Normalize the situation-let your child know
that it happens to the best of us
• Listen carefully to what your child tells you,
mirroring back what you hear and not reacting
or judging what your child is sharing
• Comfort, empathize and soothe your child
• Engage in empowering your child by
brainstorming possible solutions to the
problem

4. Do’s Continued
• If your child is having trouble making and
maintaining friendships, build your child’s self
esteem by helping him/her become more
competent in a skill (sports, music, art, etc.)
• Role-play and practice various scenarios for
dealing with your child’s bully (practice things
such as “emotional shrugs” or walking away
from the situation

5. Do’s Continued
• Be vigilant of the situation and if you feel it
has gotten out of hand, notify teachers,
principals and other relevant adults
• Teach your child that there is no shame in
asking for help

6. Don’t
• Do not reprimand your child for admitting that
s/he has been bullied
• Do not place blame or judgment on your child
for being bullied
• Do not encourage bad behavior or retribution
• You may want to notify the aggressor’s
parents about the situation. But do not
analyze their child’s behavior or use
derogatory names to describe the child

7. Final Note
• As parents, we cannot create a perfect world
for our children, but we can help them make
sense of what goes on. Help your child digest
the situation and understand what is
happening. Most importantly, remember that
there are no problems, only solutions!