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Bullies in school – should they be intimidated or otherwise?

Bullies are people that act mean and hurt others. Bullies sometimes hit, kick, or push to hurt people, and they sometimes use words to call names, tease, or scare them. A bully might say mean things about someone, grab a kid's stuff, make fun of someone, or leave a kid out of the group on purpose. Some bullies threaten people or try to make them do things they don't want to do. They hurt their victims just to seek pleasure.

So should they suffer in silence and let bullies have their way? A prudent decision will be to stand up against them. They aim to gain a sense of authority over others, seeking people’s attention just to make their existence important or gain popularity. Hence, they like to antagonise the same children repeatedly. They tend to target children with common subjects for ridicule. For example those who are overweight, wear glasses, or have obvious physical differences like severe acne problem. But the differences don't have to be just physical. Children who learn at a different pace or are anxious or insecure can also be targets for bullies.

School children that are being bullied will develop certain symptoms. Some of the symptoms are inventing illnesses to skip school like stomachache or a headache. They can be missing belongings and money or even have sleeping problems like having nightmares. Psychological barrier can formed and it will be difficult to counter it if treatment was not received early. It will affect the child psychological development.

It is necessary for us to strike back against them because of the undesirable consequences. Children may have difficult getting along with people as adolescent or adults. Other problems are having a low esteem, depression or they can even turn to drug abuse. They will lose their confidence and think that they are incompetent. Depression will affect their daily activities and social network.

Thus, it is not wise to suffer in silence and just keep it to yourself. Confide in parents, friends and teachers, and discuss a solution. Punishing the bully will benefit not only the existing victims but also potential victims. So do not feel intimidated, instead stand up against them.

posted by Si Hui @ 7:42 PM