Tactics to Tackle the Teasing
By Forrest Samnik, MSW, LCSW
If your child has fallen victim to teasing and insults – the precursor to being bullied – this is a must read. There is only one person who can stop your child from falling prey to tormentors and bullies. That person is your child! However, s/he will need your help. By utilizing an easy, fun, and highly effective teaching tool, in the form of a game, you can empower your child to stop the ridicule and victimization for a life time.
Kids believe they get bullied because they are different in some way: they are fat or thin, tall or short; they wear glasses or have freckles; they are in Special Education or are physically handicapped. This is not the real reason. There are kids who are fat, skinny, wear bifocals, have handicaps, etc., who don’t get teased. Yet, there are many kids who are smart, talented, good looking, talented, etc., who are relentlessly tormented.
Why do some children fall prey to victimizers and others do not? It’s because of a simple mistake that anyone can make. People who are constantly teased and bullied get upset. No one continues to be bullied if the bullying doesn’t bother them. People will not harass you for long if it doesn’t upset you when they try. The whole reason why bully’s tease and harass their victims is to get a rise out of them. Getting a victim upset makes the victimizer feel powerful.
“So how do I teach my child not to get upset”, you may be thinking. The answer lies in our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. The solution is called Freedom of Speech. People have the right to say anything they like. How we respond to what they say is our responsibility (response-ability).