Thursday, February 16, 2006
Bullied and Desperate
Dear Guidance Guy,
I'm in sixth grade and there is a bully in my school. He always bothers me and he threatened to kill me one day. I told my homeroom teacher about it but nothing is working. What should I do?
Signed,
Desperate To Stop This Madness!!
*****
Dear Desperate,
If you haven't told your parents already, you need to do this right away. They need to know what is going on. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, every parent wants their child to be safe. If they know you're in trouble (and threatening to kill you IS trouble) they will want to protect you.
Second, because you're young and upset with this situation, it's probably harder for you to do the right thing to take care of yourself. Your parents will be upset, but no doubt they'll be able to talk to the right people...the teacher, the principal, and if necessary, the police. They are older and more experienced than you are and know how to get things done.
Bullying gets worse when it's allowed to go on without anyone stopping it. Bullies like the fear they get from their victims. If they don't get the fear - if the victim takes control of the situation - the situation gets better. In fact, this may be the best thing for the bully. The bully needs a way to start being less aggressive. One day he (or she) can really hurt someone...or get hurt themselves.
Tell your parents right away. Make sure the adults in your life are there to protect you.
Good Luck,
The Guidance Guy
I'm in sixth grade and there is a bully in my school. He always bothers me and he threatened to kill me one day. I told my homeroom teacher about it but nothing is working. What should I do?
Signed,
Desperate To Stop This Madness!!
*****
Dear Desperate,
If you haven't told your parents already, you need to do this right away. They need to know what is going on. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, every parent wants their child to be safe. If they know you're in trouble (and threatening to kill you IS trouble) they will want to protect you.
Second, because you're young and upset with this situation, it's probably harder for you to do the right thing to take care of yourself. Your parents will be upset, but no doubt they'll be able to talk to the right people...the teacher, the principal, and if necessary, the police. They are older and more experienced than you are and know how to get things done.
Bullying gets worse when it's allowed to go on without anyone stopping it. Bullies like the fear they get from their victims. If they don't get the fear - if the victim takes control of the situation - the situation gets better. In fact, this may be the best thing for the bully. The bully needs a way to start being less aggressive. One day he (or she) can really hurt someone...or get hurt themselves.
Tell your parents right away. Make sure the adults in your life are there to protect you.
Good Luck,
The Guidance Guy
