With kids now back together in school, there are some signs to look out to let you know if your child is being bullied.
If you see unexpected or unexplained behavior changes over the course of a couple weeks; your child suddenly disliking school or starting to isolate themselves; or hanging out with a different group of friends, you may want to start asking some questions.
If your child is being bullied, your reaction is key. Parents' first instinct is to jump into action and maybe even freak out.
But Stephanie Fredrick of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at UB says it’s very important that your child knows they can come to you and get a calm reaction.
"Many times, parents may react quite strongly and immediately try to call other parents or try to call the school,” she said. “So instead, let your children know 'if you tell me, I will not do anything that you're not comfortable with me doing. I will problem solve solutions with you. I won't take your device away ... If you're telling me that you're being cyber bullied, I'm not just going to automatically take your phone away from you. I will work with you to come up with solutions.' "
Fredrick says it’s a good idea to start talking with your child in elementary school, letting them know what to do if they experience bullying, and that they can always come to you for help.