Growing up as a kid is never easy, learning about subjects and life becomes an everyday thing. Sometimes as parents we underestimate this stage because we’re busy with adult life. Some parents don’t even pay proper attention to their kids and leave all the work to teachers at school. However, mom and dad are responsible for the rest of a child’s education at home and teaching against bullying is a necessity.

The word bully has evolved since it’s Dutch roots in the 16th century. Once its meaning referred to a close friend but over time it changed to a more bravado-like attitude. On the other hand, bullying has had a negative meaning since its first use in the 70’s. It defines a person that harms another one repeatedly using an imbalance of power as leverage.

But we all know that. We lived it and seen it surely. Bullying can have terrible consequences, even death in some extreme cases. The US Government made programs in the 90’s to fight it and now pop culture embraces the fact that the behavior is wrong. Nevertheless, a variation of the problem came along with the internet, it’s called cyber bullying.

Bullying? Is that really still a thing?

According to studies, bullying is a phenomenon that occurs in every society. Sometimes it happens so that one person doesn’t harness much power but that isn’t the majority of cases. The fact of the matter is that bullying is a part of human condition and we can’t avoid the behavior. Yet we can work our way around it with education and by promoting good values.

There are various ways to fight bullying and the debate is between fighting and non-confrontation. The person should always avoid direct encounters and leave that only as a last resort. An effective technique is building self-confidence as a weapon knowing that the more confident you are, the less likely someone is to mess with you. All of this without actually using violence to defend yourself of course.

In a child’s case, being part of a big brother program or having some kind of tutor always helps. Kids that are loners and aren’t very social are more prone to bullying than kids that hang around in groups. Having the aid of an older person that counsels the right way can make a difference and may even save lives.

The consequences are dire if the problem isn’t faced right away. When psychologists talk about emotional scarring and leaving a mark they’re not joking around. The reason most adults have complexes issues is due to unfinished business from childhood. Not having a good relationship with your parents of letting bullying be a nightmare in school can ruin any person’s self-esteem.

Isn’t Cyberbullying kind of the same thing then?

The modus operandi is the same, but since the internet is so personal we’re back to square one. Fighting regular bullying is a more social activity because many people are involved. It made awareness and it created a social culture against it in the real world.

We can all agree that social media has made the internet more like life. You can interact with it and not just read of watch things here and there, this also brings problems. Now people that don’t get the right approval in the real world seek it on social media and invest emotions and feelings on persons that they haven’t even seen or don’t know personally. This brought the bullying problem to a whole new level.

Anti-bullying is the key for better adults

It seems like people – especially kids – are defenseless if they’re in need for approval on the internet. Yet the root of the problem stays the same. Lack of self-confidence and improper guidance can make anyone go down the wrong road so here’s a basic list for social interaction:

• Hang around with people that share your interests. Persons that know what you like are more likely to understand how you feel and think and you won’t feel excluded from society.
• Follow the group’s guidance if it’s a positive one. Anyone is entitled to think or do as they want, as long as it doesn’t harm others, if they try to make you think otherwise, stay away from them.
• Always construct, don’t destroy. If you’re seen as a nice person with good vibes that’ll attract other good persons. When someone wants to beset you, dismiss them, they’re probably not worth it.
• If you’re to confront someone, don’t get personal. This isn’t an easy one to do because it’s way simpler to get into someone’s skin than to expose arguments. Just make sure you’re the smarter person in the conversation and don’t go to sterile talk.
• Don’t lose your head over a discussion. The best way to defend your behavior is acting as smart as you think. Prove you’re better than the bully, so don’t fall into his game.

Be sure to teach your kids these bits of advice and don’t be afraid to enter their lives. Being an integral part of their growth is something they’ll thank you later. Parent influence is a major thing that can build a strong personality which is the first priority in order to reach success in life overall.