When your child shares experiences from school or other settings where they seem to have experienced some form of bullying or rejection, it is essential to listen actively and acknowledge their pain, hurt and frustration. This will make them feel heard, supported and understood. You can then suggest ideas of what ‘other children have tried’ to cope with similar situations in a problem solving session. Here are some ideas of assertive language that children have used to good effect to answer someone who has used hurtful words:
– “Thank you for sharing”
– “That’s your opinion and you can keep it”
– “Really? Thanks”
– “Are you having a bad day?”
NB: This by no means covers all aspects of bullying. These are just a few examples to illustrate how we can coach our children to deal with some instances of rejection and bullying.
Inspirational quotes:
“They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Respect yourself and others will respect you.” – Confucius, Sayings of Confucius
These are just a few examples of our Best of Parenting Tools. You can find more ideas and solutions to typical parenting challenges in our book ‘Kids Don’t Come With a Manual – The Essential Guide to a Happy Family Life‘.
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