Parents must model the behavior they want their children to mimic.
An outgoing seven-year-old named Madeline came home from church one Sunday morning, sad and discouraged. She told her parents that while she was sharing a song with the class, there was a group of boys who were making fun of her. Trying to hand the problem back to her (in order to encourage independent decision making!), her parents asked, "What do you think you'll do about it?" She said she wasn't sure, and dropped the subject.
A few days later, she approached her mom and declared, "I don't know the other boys in my class, but I do know Kevin. He really hurt my feelings when he laughed at my song. I want to call him and talk to him about it." Her mom consented to this idea, and was cheering on the inside for her daughter's decision to deal with the matter directly on her own. The phone conversation went something like this:
Madeline: Kevin, I didn't like how you were laughing at me at church when I was singing my song. That really hurt my feelings.
Kevin: I'm sorry. I won't do that again.
Madeline: Good. Because I didn't like that.
What do you think the conversation was between Kevin and his parents after he got off the phone? He was using a form of bullying by making Madeline feel uncomfortable to be herself.
Two results occurred from this interaction:
1. Madeline will have no problem standing up for herself and will feel confident in her ability to confront others who are mistreating her.
2. Kevin will think twice about bullying her in the future.
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