What are you supposed to tell your child to do if they're getting bullied at school?

I suggest beating the sh*t out of them until they bleed. This will give your child more confidence around the bullies. They will know how to handle it. Your child will be ugly and will be beat up frequently, it happens to the best of us.

There is a great article about this on our website: http://www.parenting.org/article/bully-%E2%80%9Cbullied%E2%80%9D-and-bystander Hope this helps! If you have any further questions, give our hotline a call. The Boys Town hotline is a parenting hotline. It is open 24 hours a day/seven days a week. - Sara, Counselor 1-800-448-3000

I was bullied something awful in school too. All the years from grade K & up. I quit early & got my GED just to get out of it. We homeschool but yes even homeschooled kids get bullied. It can happen in homeschool groups, playing with other kids at the playground or even at church events. I've always talked openly to my kids about bullies. I've told them "Hurting people Hurt People" those who bully are often hurting inside. I told them if they were bullied to not let the bully know their words hurt them. To remember this person is hurting some how. To step away and tell an adult if need. My son at the age of 8 faced a bully right in front of me on year at a church 4th of July festival. This kid would not leave him alone. He was so much bigger than my son too. I wanted to step in to save him but my husband was right & siad we should see how he handles it. He did well. This kid started teasing my son because my son had said he didn't like football. My son likes soccer instead. This kid called him a "girl" because of this too. My son just shrugged and said "Ok." Then turned away to get ready to watch a show before the fireworks. This kid at one point even told my son he couldn't sit somewhere. My son started to move away then stopped not wanting to listen to the bully. This is when the bully put his hands on my son. Right in front of me as the bully picked my son up to show how strong he was. My son without missing a beat said "Wwwweeee! That was fun." The bully looked shocked put my son down then did it again. My son again said "That sure is fun." The bully looked confused and walked away. lol A few other times this kid has tried to bully my son but it is to the point now where this bully doesn't know what my son will do or so so he pretty much backs off. I've often told my kids to not hate or be mean back to the bullies. The bullies want a reaction in a negitive way. When my son told the bully it was fun being picked up instead of kicking & yelling "PUT ME DOWN" the bully saw he wasn't going to get a helpless victim. He gave up. As for how things changed it really depends on the school. Things are always changes too. Some bully laws have recently gone into effect. Also keep in mind bullies are all over. There are bullies here on YA, bullies out in cyber space, bullies at church, bullies at a local park & so on. It is not just at school.

A couple little girls were flicking soap on my 2nd grade daughter last year. She came home and told me about it, but didn't seem overly upset by it. I asked what she did and she matter of factly told me "I finished washing my hands, went back to class and told my teacher." I asked if she said anything to the girls and she said no. She said she gave them a "what's wrong with you" kind of face. I guess what I'm getting at is that bullies want that reaction. If they don't get one...the bullying gets lame quick. I think my daughter did the right thing. I've told her that if people say mean or hurtful things, sometimes it's better to respond with "um, OK." and walk away or not say anything at all. Have things at schools changed? Well, in my daughters school, they have bully programs regularly. Outside play companies and sometimes the older kids in the school put on skits and such. She has told me about a few of those. She seems to have learned from them. The advice I give my kids is that there will always be mean kids/adults out there. Give them no reaction and don't let lies and nonsense meaniness get under your skin. I explain that those kids and adults are probably going through a really tough time or have parents that aren't very nice to them. When my daughter tells me about these kids that are mean at school or if we encounter an angry driver or a jerk at the grocery store...we say a prayer for them to take away their pain and make them happy.