Shy, quiet, anxious??? Is your child being described with these words?
Is Perfection Causing Stress?
You know your child the best. You will probably be the first one to notice any changes in your child’s behavior. As soon as you notice any changes, start keeping a diary.
The changes to look out for:
- Refusal or reluctance to go to school
- Requests for you to drive them instead of catching the bus
- Complaints of stomach aches or headaches (could be a sign of anxiety)
- Sleeping in or wetting the bed
A fall in the child’s grades or reports from the teacher that you child is withdrawing from some activities.
While these could be an indication of other issues that could be causing the child anxiety, make sure that you explore the issue of bullying with your child.
Teachers might notice that the child starts hanging around the staff room, or the library during break times. They might see signs of distress such as crying, irritability, lethargy, withdrawal from class activities or complaints of headaches in class. Parents and teachers should also take these signs seriously and immediately discuss them.
Know your rights and responsibilities
There are laws about bullying. There are anti-discrimination laws and standards for practice in the US.
All schools should have a discipline and/or an anti-bullying policy. As a parent, don’t be afraid to ask to see a copy of this. If the school doesn’t have one, ask why.
But the bottom line is … if you don’t know, don’t be afraid to ask. Ask nicely, but be persistent.
Keep written records
Keep a diary of what is going on with your child. If possible, ask them to keep a diary. Having written records will help get action faster, and will also act as proof if the case becomes so serious that it needs to be dealt with by the authorities.
Any incident needs to be taken seriously and acted on promptly.
Use you written records to regularly and persistently inform the teacher and/or principal about what is happening.
Persistence and tangible evidence usually means that the incidents are taken much more seriously.