Ways to Identify Victims of Bullying

There are many signs of bullying and things or ways you can identify if your child or teen is a victim of bullying. Victims of bullying may have changes in their mood or behavior. Changes in behavior may include being frightened of walking to and from school, they may beg to have you drive them to school or become school phobic. They may pretend to feel sick in the mornings so they don’t have to go to school, or they may be doing poorly in school work. Another problem that may be a good indication of being a victim of bullying is that they may be losing weight. Losing weight from lack of food at school meaning the bully is taking their lunch or lunch money, or they may lose their appetite and stop eating all together. If they are being physically bullied they may come home with clothes or books that are destroyed along with them crying themselves to sleep or having nightmares. They may come home regularly with unexplained bruises, cuts, or scratches. Behavioral changes may include asking excessively for extra money or resulting to stealing from their parents to pay the bully. Changes in mood may include becoming more aggressive and unreasonable, along with taunting or harassing other children such as siblings or friends. Their mood may seem more distressed or anxious. They may attempt or threaten suicide because they feel overwhelmed and are tired of being bullied daily or on a regular basis. Victims of bullying need counseling and they need to know that they have friends and family behind them to support them. No one wants a teen or child to be bullied or to feel it necessary to take their own life. Bullies should be stopped and parents should not try bullying the bully because two wrongs do not make a right.