Spotting the signs of bullying may not always be easy no matter if you are a parent, teacher, or any other adult that has a responsibility towards a child. Regardless of whether the child is being bullied or is actually the bully the signs vary from person to person or in many incidents child to child. Although child bullying as been around as far back as can be remembered it can be very damaging to any child’s life whether the bulling be in mild form if such a form exists to more severe and dangerous bullying.
If a child is bullied it can have a huge bearing on the child’s life and can shape the future and how the child progresses to live their life. The perpetrators of bullying are often clever as they can keep their act of bulling covert and away from the eyes of others. Bullying may be done in secret and victims of bullying are often fearful to tell others of the treatment they are receiving making it extremely difficult to notice any signs either way.
Signs of a child being bullied
Child bullying very often takes places in the teaching environment, whether it be in the actual grounds of the school or the journey to and from school where very often an adult is not present as a bully is wise to when they attack so the signs may be unseen. Children being bullied especially at school may show the following signs;
- Reluctant to want to go to school – the child may seem tense when waking and make reasons for not wanting to go to school. They may refuse breakfast and seem on edge or anxious
- Constant worry about school – the child may talk of school in a negative manner and issues regarding school may increase
- Doing less well at school – often children are picked on at school for their intellectual ability as bullies may fear their cleverness and are unable to strive as much as the victim
- Creating phantom illnesses such stomach and headaches – often children complain of illnesses that might not be present inorder to stay at home and not attend school
- Negative perception on life and a decline in confidence – children being bullied can be withdrawn and show no prospects of achieving well in life
- Not wanting to go out or participate in activities – bullies may be from the same area so the child being bullied is fearful of going out incase they have an encounter with the bully or simply be bullied by a different child or group of children
- Eating habits change, the child may even lose weight – feeling anxious can often leave the child feeling nauseous or ill and not wanting to eat
- Difficulty in sleeping even wetting the bed may become an issue – children being bullied may often find it difficult in sleeping and wetting the bed can be a common occurrence
- Aggressive at home or impatient and angry – the child may show aggression towards its parents or other siblings as a way of releasing its anger and tension
- Most concerning of all physical signs such as bruising, and loss or broken possessions – bullies can often physically harm the child they are bullying by hitting, kicking, shoving, pushing or even punching their victims. Bullies often take possessions off their victims
Being bullied is not pleasant for any child and many children who experience such events will not want to talk about it. If a child is showing signs mentioned above it may not always be that they are being bullied so be patient and understanding.