McGruff, the “help take a bite out of crime” dog, mascot of The National Crime Prevention Counsil can show your child how to handle a bully. McGruff is a natural bully buster and offers practical ways to handle confrontations with a bully. If you have an elementary aged child who’s being picked on, McGruff’s site offers fun, interactive games, video, advice, and stories on how to deal with bullies.
Some advice McGruff gives from his website, McGruff.org:
Does someone tease you, call you names, leave you out, or spread rumors about you? You may have a bully. But you can stand up to bullies if you know what to do.
- Try to talk it out. Say, “Why are you being mean to me?”
- Walk away from the bully.
- Speak up. Say, “Stop picking on me!”
- Make a joke. If you say something funny, even about yourself, the bully might laugh and forget to pick on you.
- Stick with your friends.
- Ask an adult for help.
As a parent, the desire to protect your child is innate. Give her the tools to handle bullies and you will empower her have some control over the situation. I believe getting the school involved and even filing police reports isn’t out of line when it comes to the safety of your child. The bully may need some intervention, and could be crying out for help only authorities can provide. Don’t remain silent! Bullies are serious business.
Other bully advice links:
Education.com
PBS
Oprah.com
Read more about: bullies, handling bullies, McGruff, stop bullies, The National Crime Prevention Counsil
Filed under: bullies
