What to Do if Your Teen Is a Bully
October 7, 2013 RSS Feed Print
Teens who bully may be victims of bullying themselves, so parents should first try to get to the root of the problem.
No parent wants to be called into the principal's office.
The meetings rarely bear good news and instead alert parents to a problem with their teen.
"Your son is failing math." "Your daughter is skipping school." Neither is pleasant to hear, but in most cases, parents know how to proceed.
But one disciplinary problem can be particularly hard for parents to process: bullying.
This is especially true when their child isn't the victim, but the culprit, says Julie Hertzog, director of Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center, which founded National Bullying Prevention Month, held annually each October.
"Their gut reaction is, 'My child wouldn't do that,'" says Hertzog. "That's a common reaction for parents, and it's a very natural reaction to have."
[Find out how parents may teach teens to bully.]
Nearly 40 percent of middle school administrators and 20 percent at the