Bullies And Their Effect On A Child’s Self Esteem

We all know that bullying is not good for any child. Unfortunately, bullying remains a reality for many children. Research reveals that 28% of children, between the ages of 12 to 18 admitted to being bullied at school. Bullying may leave the child with physical scars or bruises, which will heal in time. However, there are more permanent effects of bullying that may affect a child well into adulthood.

Bullying and Self Esteem

Physical bruises heal in time, but the damage done mentally and emotionally will linger for years to come. Many children suffer from lack of confidence, as a result of bullying. They start to believe the unkind and hurtful words of the bully, which often leads to self loathing. Victims of bullying no longer have the ability to see themselves in a positive light. They become socially withdrawn and tend to spend almost all their free time alone. They also become socially anxious and in many cases, these victims develop thoughts of retaliation. According to statistics, at least 3 quarters of attackers in school shootings were bullied at some point. These victims always start to make up excuses for why they cannot participate in school activities, simply because they do not want to interact with their bullies, for fear of being ridiculed and embarrassed in public.

How to Tell If Your Child is Being Bullied?

Parents should be on the look out for tell tale signs such as reluctance to go to school, poor performance in school or any changes in the child’s eating and sleeping patterns. As a parent, you should also rule out any other factors that could influence of result in your teen having low self esteem. Once you are sure that your child is being bullied, you should firstly talk to him and let him know that there is noting wrong with him and that bullies make others feel bad, so that they can feel better about themselves. The next step would be to arrange a meeting with the school, the bully and his parents and try and get to the root of the problem for the well-being of both children involved.

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