Children are easily influenced by acts of machismo and assertiveness. They are influenced by media or acts that are generally practiced at home. Many times, we as parents also display a certain amount of authority and forget not to fight in front of kids. The result is that they observe these small things and imitate it on someone who is ready to be bullied. Bullies are not born but this is habit forming.

 

Any complaint from others or school against your child has to be checked for. Parents usually do not believe that their child is capable of such an activity but this also does not mean that the child has to be punished severely. The best remedy lies in understanding the situation and also explaining the right and wrong concepts in life. There could also be a situation of peer pressure or company which is making the child vulnerable to act as a bully.

 

The common problem in today’s children is that they are exposed to a lot of things and possess a high amount of energy. When this energy is not channelised, this is transformed into aggressive behavior like tantrums, yelling or hitting. Keeping the child busy in some physical activity would be another way to expend this energy so that the child automatically cools down and is able to respond in a positive manner.

 

At some point of time all children get into hitting others. This is often because they find themselves being spanked by their parents or elders and they feel this will put them in a winning situation. Hence it is a simple case of imitating behavior. This calls for a lot of attitude and negotiations skills in parenting styles. Aggressive behavior in a temporary situation is a part of growth, but continual signs of bashing other kids or verbal authority should not be tolerated.

 

Time-out punishments are the best way to ground the child. Refuse to acknowledge the wrong behavior or in case the child is too small to understand logic, use a method of role play among parents or explain with the help of toys. This is imbibed by them well and slowly they transform into a more controlled personality. Kids are like clay and change to a situation easily. Parents are their role models and understanding is the key word at all age levels.