Are you a bully and don’t know?

THE EDITOR: It is quite easy for someone to be a bully and not even realise they are. That person may think another person’s life is more fortunate than theirs, that the person is more intelligent with a better job, or did not work for what they have as it was left to them by a relative.

The bully is jealous and starts to bad-talk this person who is very happy in his own skin, just living the life God has given him. But the daily gossip has turned this situation into torment for the victim. This gossiping is a form of bullying and abuse.

Parents, caregivers and friends can also bully a child to do what they want. The following situation is a true: On a Sunday outing with her family, a teenager of 12 tells her father in advance she does not want to be made, as usual, to stay “down the islands” but wants to go home with her family at the end of the day.

The parents decide, however, to please their own adult friends and the child is made to stay. These parents are bullies without even realising it. This too is a form of abuse.

So what happens to that child in the future? She realises how helpless her situation is and could become withdrawn, not sharing her thoughts with anyone or having friends. She may even think of committing suicide, as is happening often in today’s world.

Children have been entrusted to their parents to be loved, guided, and cared for until they are mature enough to choose and live their life as they see fit. It’s not for parents to expect their children to live the life the parents wished they had.

Are you bullying your child?

PATRICIA BLADES via e-mail

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"Are you a bully and don’t know?"

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