Why Your Daughter Might Become A Bully And What You Can Do To Stop It

Why Your Daughter Might Become a Bully and What You Can Do to Stop It

Because girls generally tend to be less physical than boys when it comes to bullying, it can be difficult to tell that it’s happening. While it’s important to teach girls about bullying at an early age, they are particularly vulnerable between ages 10 and 14 so you should be communicating with your daughter about bullying as much as possible during these ages.

Here are some of the ways that girls tend to bully and how you can help to put a stop to it as a parent:

  • They Alienate One Peer – If your daughter is purposefully leaving a friend out of the group all of a sudden, this can be a form of bullying. Often, the bully will encourage others to ignore or insult the girl who is being bullied. If you think that your daughter is participating in this type of behavior, talk to them about it.
  • Relational Aggression – This is also known as “mean girl” behavior. It involves manipulating others for the purpose of causing them harm. Girls and boys use relational aggression in order to improve their social status, control others, or just to fit in, but girls are especially prone to this type of bullying.
  • They Bully In Groups – It’s very common for girls to bully in groups, which makes the experience that much more painful and damaging for the person who is being bullied. The more people who participate in bullying, the tougher it is to combat it.
  • They Cyberbully – Girl bullies may send mean messages to other girls, publicly make fun of their appearance, or slut shame them online. Knowing what your daughter is doing online and having open discussions is the best way to combat this.
  • They Focus On Appearance – Girls tend to make fun of other girls for their appearance, especially weight. In fact, a UK study revealed that 56% of girls had been picked on because of their weight.

Is Your Daughter A Victim of Bullying?

It’s important to be aware of what your daughter faces and the best way to do that is to know what’s going on in their lives. It’s entirely possible that what they’re experiencing is normal teen drama that will sort itself out, but it’s not worth the risk not to get involved. Teen girls who are bullied have a much higher suicide rate. Think your daughter is a bully? Contact Help Your Teen Now. We’re here to help.

havenwood_divider_1

Think Havenwood Might Be For You?

We encourage any visitors considering placing their daughter in treatment to fill out our online assessment as soon as possible. This two minute form will give our admissions team all the information needed to determine if your daughter is a good fit for our program.