Wednesday, July 30, 2008

How to deal with Bullies

How should people deal with bullies?

Handle it yourself by standing up to the bully. I've done that with mixed outcomes.

To me the best way to handle a bully is a fine line between walking away from the conflict and forcing the bully to face his or hers own fear and shame if the conflict erupts into violence.

I've done this many times when I had no other choice.

I've been guilty of bullying bullies and that is really something no one should do.

When does teasing become bullying? I've been guilty of crossing that line myself. Words can be deadly weapons and I've hurt many people with my words.

One of the most effective ways to deal with bullies is not to deal with them. Two members of my family have been bullies all their lives. I don't see my aunt and uncle anymore. No bully is worth your time.

Write a story about the bully. That's what I'm doing on this blog. I'm trying to understand what I did right and what I did wrong in dealing with bullies. I hope my stories help my grandchildren deal with bullies. I hope my stories can help people of all ages deal with bullies.

Tell someone anyone about being bullied. I've told my parents, told the teacher, called the police, talked to the media, protested in the streets, and went to Human Resources with my complaints about bullies. I've even shoved a video camera in the face of some rich and powerful bullies.

There is no proven way to deal with bullies. I'll keep telling Bully Tales and maybe we can find a way to put an end to these tiny terrorist by softening their hearts before they become tomorrows criminals.

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