As parents, our first instinct when we learn our child is being bullied is to step in and help solve the problem for them. Girls Leadership Institute’s Simone Marean is here to tell us why we need to do the exact opposite.
It’s one of the most common (and distressing) parenting dilemmas we face — to see our kids get hurt by a peer. I have a 10-year-old and on more than one occasion when she has come home in tears over something someone has said to her, I did what was instinctual, I jumped in and tried to solve her problem for her. Girls Leadership Institute’s Marean tells us that the best thing we can do in this situation is step back and let our daughters figure out and solve this problem for themselves.
Letting your daughter come up with ways to solve the problem by being there to offer support and to hear her out will teach her that she is capable of coming up with her own solutions and that you think her feelings are valid. I’m going to have to remember this the next time my own kid comes home all upset because someone made fun of her glasses or clothing. For more helpful advice from the Girls Leadership Institute, you can sign up for their newsletter.
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