Little Caidyn Bennett took youtube by storm with her anti-bullying message that resonated with a lot people.
His elementary school, like many across the country, have a “no bullying” policy, which means any and all bullying should be taken to a teacher or adult and handled through them. This usually results in a child being called in, talked to and punished by some form of “time out” to reflect on their actions. Though many will agree that most of the time, it usually doesn’t work.
Bullying usually goes on for a while and can have many negative effects on a child’s psychological development. Families have even filed personal injury lawsuits against school organizations, and won, for damages as a result of negligence that allowed for bullying on campus.
Though advocating violence is not the goal, Caidyn brings about an interesting point that defending yourself is something not often taught to our children but should be. Currently policies inadvertently teach kids to relay conflict resolution to adults, rather than learning how to defend yourself first.
You can watch his full Youtube video here.
While we should teach our kids self-defense and giving them the confidence to stand their ground when they need to, it’s also a parent’s job to protect your child from tormentors and toxic environments that can hinder their developmental growth. To do this, it’s important to know the early signs of bullying so you can quickly put a stop to it.
Here is a list of early warning signs that your child may have a harasser at school,
- Consistent dislike for school
- Unexplained bruises, scratches and other injuries
- Loss of friends and frequently staying isolated from people in their schools
- Changes in eating habits, either eating less or binge eating. Kids might skip lunch in order to avoid bullies.
- Poor grades and declining interest in schoolwork
- Lost or damaged clothing, books, bookbags and property
- Exhibiting self-destructive behaviors such as harming themselves, talks of suicide or running away
What You Can Do
Ensuring your child is protected from a toxic learning environment is extremely important to their developmental health. While anti-bullying organizations warn people with blaming suicide rates on bullying, the relationship between the two cannot be ignored. Bullied students are 2-9% are more likely to consider suicide than those who haven’t experienced bullying, according to a Yale study.
If you believe someone you know is being bullied and/or showing serious signs of danger, don’t ignore it.
Visit online resources for to learn how you can get help. If you’re child is being bullied at school and you’ve already reached out to your child’s school, consider discussing your case with a personal injury attorney.