I have written a few articles on bullying, but since it is such a major problem I will continue to do so. For those of you who are unaware, aside from being a full-time martial arts instructor, I am also a writer. As a writer, I research often–especially when it comes to teaching martial arts. What I’ve noticed is that many people research bullying. Parents are concerned about their children, and they should be. Parents are looking for ways to stop bullying from occurring, which is not an easy task.
I take bullying very seriously. I have helped hundreds of children successfully deal with bullies. Bullying has become a fatal problem with young children taking their own lives because of it. It is in the news all the time. Although bullying occurs in every state of the U.S., there are five states that make up the top five that have the most bullying behavior. Those five states are:
1) California
2) New York
3) Illinios
4) Pennsylvania
5) Washington
If you live in any of those states your child is at higher risk than living in any other state. Bullying is very serious, but their are ways for your child to deter bullying from happening so often. I have found that most children will be bullied at least a couple times in their lives. That’s not as big an issue as the children who are consistently bullied.
Whether your child is bullied only once, or is continuously bullied, it still needs to be rectified. As mentioned there are things that can be done so that your child is not targeted by bullies, and there are steps to take if your child does become bullied so that he or she won’t be bullied again.
Although most schools have implemented a zero tolerance policy, it doesn’t stop verbal harassment or all physical bullying to stop. So what do you do? Well, as parents it’s important to make sure your child doesn’t become a bully. I realize that many parents feel that if their child becomes the bully at least he won’t be bullied. That’s not true. In fact, becoming a bully is much worse than being bullied.
Bullies are not liked. They don’t make many friends and their future will not turn out well. Try your best to teach your child not to become a bully. I have included a small video in this article done by a child. I will include the write up that goes with it at the end of this article.
Here are some things your child can do to avoid being a target:
1) Be friendly and make as many friends as possible
2) Stand up for herself verbally (being assertive)
3) Be social.
4) Show confidence in your verbal and non verbal communication
5) Let people know if you recognize bullying behavior
There are many more, but that is a start. A child’s confidence is vital when it comes to bullies choosing their victim. Bullies don’t want to bully a confident child. One of the best ways to instill confidence is through martial arts. Aside from that your child will learn proper physical protection skills if he/she ever get attacked by bullies.
I know what martial arts have done for me and my students. If you are in one of the top five bullying states seriously consider looking into a recognized martial arts school. If you need tips on how to know whether or not a martial arts school is right for you e-mail me at michael.miller@millersdojo.com.
As mentioned, I told you I would put the write up that goes with the video at the end of this article. Here it is:
These are the top 5 worst states to avoid bullying K12:
1) California
2) New York
3) Illinois
4) Pennsylvania
5) Washington
Many kids are bullied each day. Don’t be one of the bullies.
A word from the director/producer of Bullying Stops Today:
“At first, I made this video for fun. During the editing, I saw the potential that this video holds. Kids like me can make a difference. We can help put an end to bullying. I was actually ‘bullied’ at school before. I didn’t feel like I was welcome at the school I just moved to. I know many other kids have the same problem. That’s why I felt the need to show kids what they can do to help end bullying.”
~Timmy
In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves. Please pledge not to bully other students, to help students who are bullied and to make a point to include students who are left out. Children need to respond constructively when they see bullying. Children need to work with their friends to help distract the bullies from their cruelty, report the incident, or discourage bystanders fromactively or passively encouraging an incident. Children need to report bullying to adults. Children need to be taught the difference between “tattling” (causing trouble) and “reporting” (helping). If children think that reporting a bully is the same as tattling, they will not do it. BULLYING STOPS TODAY.
I hope this article helped you in some way. Bullying is serious, but it can be stopped.
About the Author:
Michael Miller is an expert in self-defense, personal protection, personal development, and fitness. He currently holds a 4th degree black belt in American Kenpo (one of the leading systems of self-defense), and also studies and teaches boxing, kickboxing, Joe Lewis Fighting Systems and Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu. He has been featured several times in Inside Kung-fu and Black Belt magazines as an authority in his field. He can be reached through his web site at www.millersdojo.com, through e-mail at michael.miller@millersodjo.com or phone at 814-368-3725.