20-40-60 Etiquette---Should I talk to the parents?

YOU ASK! WE ANSWER! YOU DECIDE!

By Callie Gordon, Lillie-Beth Brinkman, Helen Ford Wallace

QUESTION: Is there a way to talk to a child’s parent about his son being a bully? My child has not experienced this terrible behavior, but two of his friends have, and I have thought it would be good if I talked with his parents about it. What do you think?

CALLIE’S ANSWER: I guess it would be OK to talk with the parents, but I do not know how you would go about talking to them. This isn’t my department.

LILLIE-BETH’S ANSWER: The word “bully” is a strong one that shouldn’t be used lightly — bullying is a serious matter with potentially devastating consequences, and if we attach that word to any kind of bad behavior, it will lose its effectiveness. It will also lose its effectiveness if you step in to handle a situation by yourself that doesn’t involve your child but instead is something you have heard happened to other children.

As schools step into address problems with bullies and to define them, it’s up to the parents of the victims to speak up and let someone know that their child is struggling with a bully. I don’t think it falls to you, on your own, to approach a parent whose child may or may not have bullied other children. You may lose some of the details in retelling a story that you didn’t see or learn about from the source. If you’re worried about your child being around the other boy, then limit the time or make sure it is supervised. If you witness the behavior, then explain what you saw to the parents of the child.