It might occur at school... in the halls, at lunch, or in the bathroom, when teachers are not there to see what is going on.
When adults are not watching... going to and from school, on the playground, or in the neighborhood.
Through e-mail or instant messaging... rumors are spread or nasty notes are sent.
Regardless of the venue, bullying is when one child picks on another child again and again. Usually children who are being bullied are either weaker or smaller, are shy, and generally feel helpless.
Both girls and boys can be bullies. Generally, bullies target children who cry, get mad, or easily give in to them.
There are 3 types of bullying.
- Physical—hitting, kicking, pushing, choking, punching.
- Verbal—threatening, taunting, teasing, hate speech.
- Social—excluding victims from activities or starting rumors about them.
Bullying is different from fighting or teasing.
In this segment of Healthy Children, Dr David Hill, MD, and Melanie Cole, MS, discuss how to talk with your child about bullying.
Even if you don't think your child is bullied, a bully, or a bystander, you will be helping to protect your child by tuning into this show and opening the dialog with your child.
Dr. David Hill is Vice President of Cape Fear Pediatrics in Wilmington, NC, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UNC Medical School. He serves on the executive committees of the North Carolina Pediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and the Media. In addition to writing a monthly column for Wilmington Parent Magazine Dr. Hill writes and records for multiple websites including as Livestrong.com, eHow.com, and thedoctorsvideos.com. He has three children, ages 6, 9, and 11.