Many people will at some stage in their lives experience bullying in some shape or form, or at least will have witnessed friends or children being bullied. Today there is so much publicity about bulling and most schools have a zero tolerance attitude to bullying-yet there are still a vast number of children who are suffering in silence. A shocking amount of children who are bullied say nothing, perhaps out of shame or feel too threatened by the bullies to tell anyone.
Here’s a list of tell-tale signs that your child may be a victim of bullying:
- Physical injuries like unexplained cuts and bruises
- General unhappiness
- Doesn’t want to go to school, makes up excuses or feigns illness to get out of going
- Decline in academic performance
- Coming home with torn clothing
- Unwilling to discuss his day at school
- Talks about how he hates school and has no friends
- Moody, withdrawn and tense after school
- Begins to wet the bed, starts having nightmares or is unable to sleep
- Change in eating habits, e.g. loss of appetite or overeats
- Changes in relationships and friendships with others
- Getting into trouble more often, and acting out.
These signs may also point to another issue in your child’s life. So how you find out for definite if he is being bullied? You need to sit your child down and encourage them to speak to you about what’s happening.
