Getting bullied can make life miserable if you don't know how to deal with it. Here are four ways to deal with a bully.
Talking Points:
- Be confident. Confidence isn’t about being prideful. Confidence is about being the best you can be and not letting other people’s opinions of you control your life and your thoughts about yourself.
- Don’t feed the bully! Bullies are looking for negative reactions from the people they pick on. Don’t give it to them. If you’re confident in yourself (step one) who cares what the bully says?
- Stand up. Don’t let bullies pick on you, on your friends, or even on the quiet, lonely kid nobody talks to. Be one of the good people: stand up for everybody, big or small.
- You’re not a wuss for telling an adult. If a kid is bullying you or someone else, you can talk to your parents, a teacher, or other adults who can help.
- Many bullies are hurting inside and they’re coping with hard home lives or abuse by bullying others. You’re not just helping yourself by telling an adult, but the bully, too. Everyone needs a helping hand.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Have you or someone you know ever had a run-in with a bully? What happened?
- What does it mean to be confident? How is confidence a shield against bullies?
- What does it mean to not “feed the bully?” Give an example of what this might look like in real life.
- How can you stand up against bullying without becoming a bully yourself?
- Do you think it’s hard to talk to adults about bullying? Why or why not?
- Why is it a smart move to talk to adults about bullies you know?
- How is it actually helpful to the bully to let an adult know what they are doing?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
