Parents have a special responsibility in making sure that their children possess skills that can enable them to resolve conflicts peacefully. Children can go a long way in managing conflicts if they are taught personal relationships and problem solving mechanisms.

Often, children are prone to come to their parents for help when a bully in school harasses them. How parents advise their kids about dealing with a bully can fundamentally change what could potentially be a damaging experience to tormented kids.

By and large, a bully is one who has behavioral and emotional disorders. It is typical for a bully to have a low self-esteem. In order to gain attention among peers, a bully has to put down someone. It is significant to communicate to children some of the characteristics of a bully so that they can better deal with such personalities.

When kids come home and complain about being bullied, parents must listen in order to get a clear picture of the situation. It is good to find out if the child is receiving physical or verbal attack so that parents can determine if they should get involved in resolving the conflict or let the child deal with it.

If parents choose to let their kids face bullies they should teach them:

–        That bullies are those with antisocial problems, therefore not to react to them violently.

–        To avoid escalation of conflict by disengaging or controlling emotions and anger.

–        To contact authorities in school when and if necessary.

If the problem persists, the parents should request a meeting between the bully, his or her parent(s) and the school principal. During the meeting, the following should happen:

       The bullied parents should explain why the meeting was requested and how the situation adversely affected their child.

       A conductive environment should exist where by the bullied can explain to the bully how he/she is being affected by the harassment.

       All the parties involved should give their input on how to put an end to the conflict. Remember to take notes.

       An agreement should be reached and formalized it with a handshake. Allow the bully and the bullied to have a private moment so that they can patch things up.

Understanding conflict and peace making are important ingredients in arresting conflict in the school environment.