Bullying
Children and Bullying
Children are often bullied for no reason. Some are victimised because they are different in some way, but many others are bullied for no obvious reason. If there is no real reason a bully may invent one.
Bullying hurts. Children are distressed and frightened, and they can become isolated and lonely. Over a period of time a child’s self esteem can be affected. They begin to feel demoralised and powerless to stop the bullying. Bullied children may feel it is their fault and there must be something wrong with them.
Signs of Bullying
When bullied, children often change their behaviour. There are a number of distinctive signs that indicate that a child is being bullied.
A child may:
- Not want to go to school.
- Be frightened to walk to and from school.
- Begin truanting.
- Regularly feel ill.
- Fall behind in their schoolwork.
- Lose items at school, or come home with clothes or books damaged.
- Change their behaviour, become aggressive, or distressed and anxious.
- Lose their appetite.
- Have nightmares
- Ask for money, or begin to steal.
- Refuse to discuss what is wrong.
- Begin to bully younger brothers and sisters.
- Attempt suicide.