A recent video where a father let his daughter walked to school in the middle of cold for bullying her classmates went viral. As some netizens commended his move, others criticized him. Teaching your child not to bully may be a tedious thing to do, but how do you stop this from happening? Will disciplining your kids help?
According to the South China Morning Post, experts will often tell parents that there are different ways to discipline children. It can go from positive to negative "reinforcement, role modeling, and punishment." As a lot of guardians opt to punish their kids, just like in the viral clip, it is said to be the least effective.
Disciplining a child is a learning process, not just for the kid but for the parents as well. Guardians need more time, patience, and mutual understanding to do this. Giving punishment is not always effective. Different situations require a different approach, and it also comes with different factors.
Bullying has different forms, physical, emotional, name-calling, and cyberbullying. Parents need to know the reasons why their children bully other kids and approach their behavior depending on the nature and seriousness of what they do.
Parents should never discipline a child for using foul language by cursing or punish a kid for beating a classmate by hurting them physically. It only results in a "vicious cycle," and it may just prove them that it is okay to do it, seeing it from their guardians. They should discipline them in a non-violent way.
So, per Kids Health, parents should take bullying seriously. They should assure their kids know that you will not tolerate bullying at home, at school, or even outside. They should set rules and stick to it religiously.
Parents should teach their kids to respect others and be kind. Make them understand that humiliating other people for their differences are bad. They should know empathy and accept others' beliefs.
They should also know their children's social lives, so they will have an idea where they are coming from. From here, they can see what influences their kids' behavior. They should talk to their kids and know the environment they have whether at school or play.
Teach your kids good behavior. Positive reinforcement is way better than negative discipline. Parents should see how their children handle different situations. If they deal with it positively, they should praise and commend them for it.
Good discipline should start at home. Parents should watch how they talk and handle other conflicts and problems. They should influence their children's behavior, and they should be a good example.
