Help!!! My son is being bullied

My 6 year old started kindergarten this year and is riding the bus like a big kid!

Recently he started telling me that an older child on the bus picks on him and

calls him names. I hate that my son has to deal with kids like this, but

unfortunately, I know that it is a fact of life. I struggle with trying to figure out how

to tell him to handle this bullying behavior. Should he stand up for himself?

Should he tell the bus driver? What is the best way to handle a bully?

LET THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPAL NO HE IS BEING BULLYED. KIDS WILL CONTINUE TO PICK ON HIM UNLESS SOMETHING IS DONE. THAT HOW MY MOM HANDLE IT WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY. A FRIEND LEFT A MESSAGE SAYING I WAS GOING TO GET BEAT UP UNLESS I DIDNT SOMETHING. SO MY MOM WENT TO THE PRINCIPAL . I WAS SCARED BUT I NEVER GOT INTO FIGHT AND THE KIDS DIDNT PICK ON ME. ITS WAS ALL GIRLS IN THE PRINCIPALS OFFICE I WAS SCARED BUT HAPPY THAT NO ONE WAS HURT INCLUDING ME. WE TALK AND IT WAS HANDLE. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU AND YOUR SON HAS A WONDERUFL SCHOOL YEAR.PEACE

I understand what you are going through as a mother.  I have been there with my own daughter too.  I suggest to take appropriate action as soon as you know something is wrong!

I made the mistake to wait it out and hoped it would go away.  My daughter knew that it was not her fault, two wrongs do not make a right, and that bullies really need a hug but show it in funny and sometimes mean ways.  My daughter did what I advised and made new friends with nice girls and avoided the mean ones. 

The bullies still picked on her, told her that they only had Spanish friends and many other hurtful things.  At that point I told her teacher the next day.  Her teacher took immediate action and had a sit down with the girls and they all apologized to my daughter.  In fact, after the sit down they were friends again. 

I learned my lesson that as a parent---I needed to speak up and take responsibility right away.  This is why our kids tell us because they need our help.  We need to be more dynamic in our approach to protect them.

I would tell the bus driver right away with your son present.  Have your son point the bully out and get his name.  Important:  Keep the discussion to the point and do not make your son out to be a baby or a tattletale.  This will let the bully know that no matter the age---his/her parents and principles will be a part of the discussion because he/she is wrong. 

From suicide to mimicking bully behavior, kids are affected by bullies, it is our responsibility as adults to point out and address bullies early on.  Our kids deserve immediate action.  Sometimes kids do not speak up at all or right away so the bullying has been going on much longer than we think.

Good luck!

i was a victim of being bullied the 7th grade and was afraid of telling my mom cause of lack of communication between us, i got beat up once and bullied twice. when i got beat up, the girl nocked me out on consiuous with a dictionary for being too smart and when i wokeup i was getting my head slammed to the floor in the class and the teacher did nothing about it, my only friend in the class called the principal. i was the only one in the office and i got suspended because the teacher said i started it. i told my mom and she did nothin about it, when i returned to school in the same class a different girl just out of no where just came at me and pushed me tell i tripped. i was humiliated again so i ditched the rest of the day, i went to my grandmas house crying with a brused forehead. the next week my best friend started bullying me and i went straight to the principals office and yelled at them all. they called my friend in and she gave me a bloody nose for getting her in trouble. my mother was called and she took me out of school and didnt return that yr. later on i started getting attitude with everyone in my family . 8th grade i returned to the same school and i confronted my bullies with hurtfull words about how they will lateron turn out...they ended up stop bothering and i ended up having a great yr... what i am trying to say with my examples is to pay close attention because it can be worse and when a child has the courage to tell us then we have to help them by talking to the teachers and or the principal. but the kids also need to be taught how to handle curtain situations like telling the bully to leave them alone etc. but not ecourage them to be tattle tales.