Teach Your Child To Deal With Teasing – Parenthood

The first thing to know is that children are not bad by nature. Most use teasing as a defense, as a ( wrong ) way to get in touch or to imitate their parents. Some parents pass on their frustrations and low self-esteem to their children. Others are just used to this kind of behavior and unwittingly allow it.

As parents, often we would like to be the ones to deal with these children. Seeing our children in pain and having a bad time causes us an anguish and anger that only those who experience it can describe. But this is not the solution. The child must learn to deal with these kinds of situations.

How can I help my son cope with teasing from others?

Listen to it

First, listen to what your child has to say. It could be something reciprocal with another child, or maybe just a game. Analyze the situation and ask the teachers for information about the situation. The key is to educate yourself before you act. So encourage him to tell you what he’s doing in class and show him that he can be honest with you.

Don’t humiliate him

Many parents humiliate their children in order to make them courageous. They believe that by calling them sissies or whiners they will end up toughening them.  This is not the case, however. A child does not respond to teasing like an adult, and therefore you need to be empathetic.

Teach him to ignore teasing

A good method in these situations is to ignore those who tease them. Most of the time, kids get bored when they see that their malicious jokes have no effect. When this happens, they stop insisting and even treat the child as if nothing  had  happened.

Use humor

Humor can also be a very powerful weapon. Teach your child to respond quickly and wryly and you will notice the results very quickly. Remember that this is not about making fun of the other, playing their game. They should not respond with violence or insults either.   It just needs to be a way of letting the mocker know that the child is not affected by his remarks.

Encourage him to join forces with other children

Friendships are a great way to prevent the child from isolating himself as a result of these incidents. He will feel protected and appreciated.  Then either they’ll stop bothering him or he ‘ll learn not to pay attention. In addition, there are surely other children who are in the same situation as him. In this case, it could be beneficial, as it would lead to a great understanding between them.

Watch out for danger signs

It may be that what we consider stupid is something serious. Unfortunately, sometimes teasing turns into harassment. In this case, the first thing to do is to speak with the teachers and school officials to ask them your questions. From this moment and if the situation worsens, it is necessary to denounce.

What if it’s my son who laughs at other people?

If it is our son who is making fun of others, we need to seriously think about why he is doing it. We shouldn’t make a drama of it, but rather, as we mentioned earlier, listen to its reasons. He may also be teased and needs help, or he is imitating some of our toxic behaviors. In this case, it is not only him who must change his attitude… we must do the same.

You have to explain to him that it is not good to make fun of others. It hurts people a lot, and it’s likely that if he continues like this, no one will want to be his friend. If he’s nice to others, it’s likely that others will be nice to him as well. And, of course, we have to stress that helping others will always make us happier than destroying them.