Older children in the school start the day by shaking hands with the classmates closest to them. On Fridays, the morning meetings culminate with a high-five to celebrate the end of the week. Most often, kids are teased for simple reasons - they're too small, too big, too smart or not smart enough. A child who stands out for any reason is fair game, and psychologists urge parents of children who are teased often to enroll them in schools with sensitive classrooms or to pressure the child's current school to adopt programs like Bullyproof or Responsive Classrooms. Putting someone down is a comedic style in America.
Television shows are ripe with quick one-liner insults.
Kids pick up on that. The curt dismissal that some parents give children when they talk about being ridiculed at school only contributes to the child's torment, counselors say. The most important thing parents can do when they discover their child is getting bullied at school is encourage them to discuss exactly what is happening, according to Richard Shulik a child psychologist with the Newburyport School District. You want to ask direct and pointed questions - not questions your child can answer with a yes or no. The first question should be geared toward finding out how the child feels about what people are saying about him or her.