Teen Bullying

Many people may never understand the trauma a youngster goes through when he has to go to school knowing that he will bullied when he gets there. It is an age old problem that hasn’t gotten any better in the last decade. The big bully picks on the little kids at school. He will take their lunch, their lunch money, punch them and send them on their way. The typical bully will threaten the scared child with further bodily harm if he tells anyone. Usually the child being bullied will follow the request and keep the abuse secret.

Within the victims circle of friends there is usually not anyone that will stand up to the bully. In some cases the abuse can go on for years. Teachers and staff at school may have an idea of what is going on, but won’t do anything unless someone complains. There have been many movies made about this scenario, with the picked on students finally taking a stand, punching the bully in the nose and sending him off crying. It is sad that this happy ending doesn’t always play itself out in reality.

Emotional Bullying

Emotion bullying can be just as difficult for a child to endure. Emotional bullying happens when the bully teases younger or smaller children. The bully will always feel that someone with learning disabilities is fair game to pick on as well. As hard as it may seem to believe, the bully will also pick on children with physical challenges also. This type of abuse while not physically painful, can cause equal or greater damage to the victim. Since the victim has not been physically touched, it is more difficult for teachers or school administration to punish the bully. The bully is not happy until he has made his victim cry. The scars of this type of abuse can last for a life time. If a parent tries to get involved, the bully has more ammunition to tease his victim about. He will then be able to say things like, “the little baby had to have his momma call the teacher”. This additional belittlement only seems to make things worse. The victim will usually experience similar results by reporting the negative behavior to the teacher. This gives the bully something else to tease his victim about.

Non Reported Bullying

The reasons above pretty well describe the reason that most bullying goes unreported. Not only is the child afraid of the threats by the bully to tell anyone, he or she does not want the embarrassment associated with having to bring a parent of teacher into the picture. The bullying problem can make it difficult for parents to get their child to school. If a child is reluctant to go to school and is unable to say why, it would be wise for parents to observe their child without their child knowing. Another avenue that may be pursued, would be to talk to the teacher in confidence.