Peter "Just Loves Flying"

When it comes to dealing with bullying, calmness is the key – Independent.ie.

Our instinct, as parents, is to fix the problem immediately, and we interrogate our child with hundreds of questions. We need all the information we can get in as short a time as possible so we can plough ahead with solving this problem. After all, that’s our job, isn’t it? To solve problems, and protect our children.

We must fight that urge, says Aine Lynch, and focus on giving our child our full attention. Bullying is a disempowering position to be in, and when a child has told you the news, the last thing they need is for you to go on is a solo crusade; it’s important to involve them in any decisions made on dealing with the situation. Sharing their story can also help them put it in perspective and maybe even help solve the issue. “The child has a unique and valuable knowledge of the situation, and is therefore in a better position to suggest what might and might not help”, says Lynch, “it’s our job as parents to teach and support our child to manage difficult situations in life – if parents take over the situation it is less likely that a child will learn coping skills in life that will help them deal with every difficult turn.”…