Would Your Child Stand Up To Bullies?
Even though it reveals that I sit at home on the couch on Friday nights I’ll go ahead and admit I’m totally addicted to ABC’s What Would You Do?
The hidden camera show puts ordinary people on the spot. From bullying to abuse and racial attacks, hidden cameras record what the average person would do in certain situations before reporter John Quiñones bursts out of nowhere to confront folks about their reactions.
Dateline set up a similar scenario with hidden cameras to see how teens react to bullying. The kicker? It isn’t just a reporter monitoring their actions. Their parents are watching too.
Bullying has been in the news a lot lately. It’s been linked to depression and even suicide. No parent wants to think their child is the bully. But some statistics show half of all schoolchildren report being bullied, so someone has to be doing it.
Here’s one of the Dateline scenarios : Girls are invited to what they think is a TV fashion program – but three of their fellow participants are actually actors. Two pretty, slightly older girls play the role of bullies and one heavyset girl played victim.
Another scenario includes boys playing basketball. Three older, athletic boys push around a younger, skinnier kid. How will the other players react?
Parents watch backstage while their girls are filmed reacting to the bullies. From the clips I’ve seen, parents are very surprised by their childrens’ reactions.
Rosalind Wiseman, author of “Queen Bees & Wannabes,” says teaching kids good values isn’t enough; parents have to teach them how to act on those values in everyday situations.
Now that I’m a parent I would love to participate in one of these scenarios to see how my kid would react. How thrilled would you be if your child stood up to the bully?
You can see how all the kids react on My Kid Would Never Bully tonight on Dateline. They also have a set of tips for both parents and children.
Photo: Flickr.com/trix0r
My daughter did last year. Now it wasn’t a group- which to me, holds a whole, more sinister and potentially dangerous capacity. But it one larger girl who was bullying her and it escalated somewhat. She was a lot bigger and more athletic. But I told my daughter not to back down. IT was 5th grade, she was in safe school that would be able to handle it if it got any worse or she needed help. So many times a bully will persevere with a kid they perceive as weaker. But once you stand up to them they back down. So she did it- and was amazed to find me right. Best part? She now sticks up for other victims too in middle school.
I am not a teenager; yet, I am encountering bullying and harassment from the administrative staff; they encourage and support the other staff to bulling and harass me. There are no support from the elective office, board of directors, union and attorneys.
Warm Regards,
Shirley A. Moon
(423) 697-7379
2107 Bennett Avenue
Chattanooga, T 37404
Great show, it’s an important topic, we’re happy to see it is being addressed. We, Stress Is Gone, have developed body language techniques that also help with bullying. Check out our blog here: http://bit.ly/dragonstop
Let us know what you think!
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I think that the key is to instill values and let them resolve their own problems without interfering, unless it gets physical. My son is only 3 years old and I never interfere if other toddlers do not want to play or share with him.
That in turn, makes him stronger to deal with bullies. I found that out when he was almost 2 years old and after being bullied by a girl that was a little older than him (that decided that all the toys in my son’s grandfather’s house where hers) proceded to try and push my son off a rocking chair he was able to play with before she came to claim it. That is when he reacted saying “No” to her and taking her hand off the rocking chair so he could continue rocking. The girl started crying and stayed away from him the rest of the day. I couldn’t be more proud