Journaling Can Help Pre-Teens Cope with Bullying

A big concern for many parents these days is the interactions that their child has with fellow students at school. The news of late tells numerous stories about children being bullied and hazed by classmates while at school. This bullying, which has been going on for years on school campuses throughout the world, now has gained widespread attention.

The reality of bullying has led some targeted children, in a couple of cases, to go to the extreme of taking their own lives. School bullying is something that every parent should be concerned about, especially when it becomes an issue of a child’s safety, security, and life.

School bullying hits right at the very core of a pre-teen’s developing self-concept and confidence. We grow best when we have the positive support of those we associate with and bullying stunts that growth.

What Parents Can Do To Help

There are many things parents can do to ensure the safety, security and fair treatment of their children while they are in school. Some examples can include talking with teachers and school administrators when the parent discovers that their child is being harassed by fellow students. Parents can also talk to the parents of those children doing the harassing and, if the harassment becomes serious enough talk to local law enforcement agencies.  For more resources on what parents can do to end bullying, visit Stop Bullying Now!

However, there is something more personal that can be done as well to help your child cope with interpersonal difficulties. Parents should encourage their pre-teen to write in their journals about their relationship issues that they are experiencing with fellow students or anyone else for that matter. The journal can become a place for your child to express themselves when they feel the world is against them. A journal can also be a place for your child to sort the confusion between what others say about them and their own concept of themselves.

As we all know, peer attitudes can have a major impact on how a child sees and feels about themselves. Peer pressure is often even more powerful than parental input because of the issue of peer acceptance. We all want to be accepted by those around us. Mix peer pressure with hazing and that can become a recipe for depression, self-condemnation and even suicide.

One way parents can help their child through the interpersonal challenges of pre-adolescence is to encourage them to write about their experiences in their journals. The journal can provide your child with a place to turn to when they may think less of themselves as a result of peer harassment and hazing.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where some people do get a thrill out making others feel bad about themselves. And because of this fact parents should help their children learn and develop skills to help them cope with such a reality. As we have seen, one way for a child to cope with the difficulties of life is to learn the habit of journaling now. With this habit forming practice the child then has the opportunity to take this skill and coping tool into their adult life to help them more effectively understand their interactions with others. Losing a young life is a very sad event and as adults we need to do all we can to prevent that.

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“A sweet, simple self-esteem building journal for kids!”

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