When it comes to the issue of bullying parents often feel helpless. We can't be there every moment to protect our child in every situation.
So how can you bully proof your child or at least cut down on their chances of becoming a victim?
News Four's Shelby Sheehan did an interview via Skype with an author and parent education speaker who has some practical ideas on how to do just that.
Joe Bruzzese lectures soon to be teachers at UC Santa Barbara and parents nationwide on bullying.
He says "Bullying is one of those topics on the minds of just about every parent now in America"
Bruzzese says parent involvement is a critical piece of bully-proofing kids and it should start in elementary school with role playing.
"Teach your kids to say don't treat me that way, stop treating me that way or you need to be respectful of me. These simple phrases that if a child practices and is confident with and does the role playing with a parent it will be that much easier for them."
In that bullying conversation Bruzzese says make a specific plan with your child.
"Coach your child on where to go and who to talk to if they don't feel like they can say the words or they don't feel confident or the bully isn't stopping the bullying."
These adults can be teachers, counselors or principals and of course you the parent. Extracurricular activities can also provide some protection.
"Those activities build self confidence, bullies target kids with low self confidence."
But if your child is not the athlete or an artist there are other opportunities to find good peer groups as they go into the middle and high school years.
Drama programs and school clubs can be a better fit.
"It's the child who is on the fringes, the child who doesn't seem to have a peer group, they are easy targets because if you can corner a child and make them feel less than and there's no one around to help the child than a bully is going to be prone to look for that person."
If your child is being bullied Bruzzese encourages them to walk with friends and travel in groups.
And parents should feel comfortable getting in touch with school administrators.
"Parents need to remember that school exists for you and your child. It's not the opposite way around and I think parents are made to feel that way even though they are a partner,they need to say hey you're here to help my child we need to have a conversation about how we can do that."
Bruzzese says there are few anti-bullying programs out there that encourage students to stand up to bullies when someone else is being targeted.
In our interview he gave a lot of credit to the approach a principal in Ely is taking which we profiled a few weeks ago.
He believes empowering children in that way is going to be the key to getting the problem of bullying under control.
