Have you noticed your kids being a bit jumpy, less energetic, and reclusive. These are but tell-tale signs that your child is being bullied. Bullying can happen everywhere. Sadly, even in the presence of watchful eyes, there are forms of bullying as well.

Bullying does not only happen in the playground. Well, not any more. Whenever there is an avenue to interact, bullying can happen. As technology advances, bullying changes with it.

Let’s talk about cyber bullying When your child becomes a target of harassment by interactive tools such as the internet, social media, games played online, et al, this can be construed as bullying. There are two types of cyber bullying; the direct attack (to which a message is sent directly to the victim), and the proxy (where other people get involved or even tricked to participate in the bullying). No matter how we call it, it’s still bullying.

Gracie Barra has been one strong advocate for a bully-free world. Yes. We believe that a world rid of bullies creates an environment that is best for our kids. Gracie Barra believes that child should be left behind.

But cyberbullying is relatively new. which, dawned with the advent of social media. Here are some tips on how we can prevent, and help cyber bullying victims.

1. Help your kids manage their feelings. – at an early age, teaching them to deal with frustration can help them a lot. Help your kids understand that it’s not the bullying that is hurting them, however, it is their reaction to the bullies. Tell them that their feelings are valid, but there is no reason to be upset.

2. Get them off the computer and in to physical activities – Yes. This is a plausible solution. Although, it is a challenge to get kids off their butts to get into physical activities, let them know that self-improvement can help. Improving one’s health leads to increased confidence and self-esteem. Jiu-Jitsu is the best so far, need we say more? Check out our facebook page =)

3. Get involved – as parents and guardians, our presence will help a lot when our kids become victims of bullying. Having you standing by your kid helps a lot.

4. Avoid Social Media… for now – we cannot discredit how social media has changed the world (and will probably will), however, we must be active in protecting our children against bullying. Getting them off cyberspace for now, (and while they are still developing young adults will help. We are not disconnecting them from the world, but rather we are helping them develop social skills. What better way to do that other than training them in the real world.

5. Channel Negative Energy – Jiu-Jitsu is all about leverage. It’s all about momentum, force, et al. Getting them into Jiu-Jitsu will be good for their development. This is a place where they can enjoy the company of other kids. They can also learn to interact with them. By the way, Gracie Barra schools are Bully-free zones.