I'm speaking as a 40 year old from the UK. First I'm not a parent but at 40 of course I have opinions on 'what if I were'. I was bullied at secondary school. It made me stronger inside. I could have excelled at certain sports especially long distance running. also discus. As I was bullied I wanted to spend as little time in school as possible. Despite this I did not 'bunk' off school. I saw school as a place where I must pass my exams to get a better life / job / paypacket & be a proper 'grownup'. Back to those sports... I didn't want anything to do with 'school' out of regular class hours as school equalled posibility of more bullying. At this point I must point out that compared to kids of today I was lucky in that my parents got me into a good school (2 older brothers as proof). The bullies did'nt just hit you, they used words & the occaisional shove to try to 'bait' me into snapping & trying to hit them. I never took this bait, out of fear at the time. My parents hat taught me this:
'Sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me'. Words do hurt but not as much as a fist or a kick. At 40, I'm now proud of the fact I've never had a fight in my life. I never go looking for trouble but if trouble comes my way & I cant avoid it through communication WATCH OUT! Depending on the circumstances, I will use the force I deem necessary if you're the bad guy. I won't back down now because chances are if you bully me now its because its a way of life for you. At this point you must really be wondering 'what relevance does this have to the post?' Simple answer is 'tough love'. Teach your kids to be stronger inside & rise above the bully that calls them names. Remember this: Through school & parenting you must prepare your kids for the real world. Of course its only natural to want to wrap your kids in cotton wool to protect them from bad elements of life. 'Tough love' will prepair your kids to be able to protect themselves. You cant be there 24 / 7 for them with a massive roll of cotton wool. Just my thoughts, based on my own experiences in life.