As schools in Middle Tennessee have returned to session this month, it is a good time to remind parents of bullying. I never thought my family would be experiencing bullying or even thinking about it with my kids in elementary school, but this year in all the back to school fun my kids were not there. This year we are schooling from home through the public school K12 program due to bullying in elementary school.

Stop Bullying in elementary schoolIt is never too soon to talk to your kids about bullying. Discussing the right way and wrong to treat your friends and fellow students can start as early as Pre-K. I am not an expert in this just a mom who has dealt with this with her own child and have seen the ripples this can reap. I am also a mom who has seen the news and heard stories from other moms. As parents we need to partner with each other and our schools to help combat bullying.

October is officially National Bullying Prevention Month, but I think this should be something we work to prevent every month and every day. Bullying affects a child’s confidence and mental health. It can make them dislike school and want them to not be there. We need to encourage continued learning to strengthen these future leaders of America not discourage them.

Here are websites to get more information about bullying and how you can help:

https://www.stopbullying.gov/

https://childmind.org/article/how-to-arm-your-child-against-bullying/

https://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/

We can all make a difference when we work together, and I think our children need to see that together we can build mountains.