Parents of kids who witness bullying can do many things to help their child deal with bullying.
If your child tells you that they were a witness to bullying, ask them to tell you more about it. Did they do anything about it when it happened? Did they stand up to the bully? Did they help or "S.A.V.E." the victim? Most importantly, did they report it to an adult?
If you find out that your child has not spoken up about the situation, you can encourage him or her to do so. Ask them how they would feel if they were a victim of bullying and no witnesses reported it. Remind them that it is their responsibility to tell someone what they saw, and that telling is not tattling.
If they are still nervous about speaking up, suggest that they use a "strength in numbers" technique and take a friend or two along with them to talk to a grownup. Some children who are really afraid of reporting the situation may want a parent to go with them to talk with someone at school. The last resort would be for a parent to call, e-mail or go to the school to inform a staff member of the incident.
One reason that parents must insist that their child report bullying is because everyone in the school plays an important part in stopping it. (Remember that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.) Another reason that parents should teach their children to report bullying is because if the bullying continues, it can also have negative consequences on the witnesses. Anxiety, stress, worry and guilt can cause health and academic problems for these bystanders.
In conclusion, it is very important that parents of witnesses listen to their children, support them, and support the school.
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