Matt Hogan’s Reviews > Easing the Teasing : Helping Your Child Cope with Name-Calling, Ridicule, and Verbal Bullying > Status Update

Kids learn from what they live with on a day-to-day basis. A child who is physically or verbally aggressive at school is often imitating behaviors and words that he observes or experiences within his family.

While I don't advocate censorship, I do advocate careful monitoring by parents.

Summary of the ten strategies.

The first thing I tell kids who witness teasing is that the very least they can do is not show any support for the teaser.

We must strongly encourage a bystander or witness to intervene, show support, or ask for help. It is imperative that children take an active role when they witness or observe a classmate being teased.

Children whose parents convey empathy to them are more likely to convy empathy to others.

And in an age where families move around a lot and kids often opt for solitary activities like computer games, far too many kids are becoming deficient in these social skills.

A popular person vs. a friend

A child who doesn't deserve the admiration of others will not remain popular if everyone around him stops rewarding his negative behavior and attitudes. Thats what the strategies in ch. 6 are all about - children standing up for themselves and refusing to give creul and aggressive peers power.