Think your tough and aggressive kid will be safe from bullying in school? Actually, s/he might be more at risk for it.
A new study shows what educators and researchers have long suspected. Children who are aggressive in their toddler years often wind up the target of bullies. Experts in the field have known for a long time that there is a link between being aggressive and being tormented.
From Newsweek:
When volatile and angry children act out on their frustrations—smashing
a toy after someone takes their ball away—they aren't exactly beloved
by their peers. "They're easy marks," says Kenneth Dodge, a psychology professor at Duke University. "You know you can get a rise out of them, you can push their buttons."
And, parents, it's not just a matter of personality.
... Aggression in toddlers was, again, associated with harassment in first
grade and the researchers found two other risk factors for peer
victimization as well: harsh or reactive parenting—anger, shouting and
spanking when the kids were fussy—and lower income families.
Does any of this give you more perspective on the school bully? Or is this just blaming the bully's victim?
Photo: Newsweek.com
