Bad parenting is to blame for school bullying. At least in Japan, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey. It seems most of those surveyed believe bullying is caused by parents failing to teach their children social rules.
Respondents were asked to select from eight choices what major factors they believed was the cause of bullying. Bad parenting received 65%, 55% cited children’s lack of empathy for others, 52% said parents not being aware of the suffering of their kids, 48% blamed insufficient capabilities of the teachers and 45% blamed the schools for evading their responsibility by concealing bullying cases.
Bullying has always been around but it is much more serious than it was a few decades ago. Many cases of kids committing suicide as a result of bullying has been reported. Bullying involves any type of harassing including verbal and physical abuse. It can range from name calling to serious physical assault. According to reports, boys bully more than girls and the bullying is generally more physical. Many times parents are unaware that their kids are being bullied because the kids are too afraid to talk about it.
Why do some kids become bullies? According to research conducted at the University of Arizona, kids who identified themselves as bullies received more forceful, physical discipline from their parents, viewed more TV violence and exhibited more misconduct at home. In addition, 32% lived with a stepparent and 36% lived in single-parent homes. The bullies also had fewer adult role models, more exposure to gang activity and easier access to guns. The conclusion is that many of the bullies learn their behavior by example. The researchers also reported that the bullies often want people to look up to them and they try to achieve this status by acting tough. They are also often unhappy in school, immature and unpopular and many kids associate with them out of fear not friendship.
The best thing that a parent can do to make sure that their children do not become victims or bullies is to talk about how serious a problem this is. We have to let our kids know that if someone is harassing them they need to tell us. And if you find out that your child is the one doing the bullying you certainly need to intervene before a child is hurt.
See also:
Schools Continue to Fight Bullying
What Schools Should Be Doing About Bullies