According to Stopbullying.gov there are four easy ways you can have a role in preventing bullying:

• Understand: Don't be afraid to talk about what it is and how to stand up to it safely.  Tell your children bullying is unacceptable.  Make sure they know how to identify it and how to get help. Children who know what bullying is can better identify it.  They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others.  Teach your children how to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help. Speaking to a trusted adult, reporting, strategize on staying safe, urge them to help kids who are bullied by showing kindness or getting help, discuss issues often and openly.

• Communicate: Check in on your children often.  Listen to them.  Know their friends.  Ask about school.  Understand their concerns.  Check in with their schoolteachers regularly.  Guide a conversation with your children ask questions such as what was one good thing that happened today? Any bad things? What is lunch time like at your school? Who do you sit with? What do you talk about? What is it like to ride the school bus? What are you good at? What do you like best about yourself?  Talking about bullying directly is very important in understanding how the issue might be affecting children.  There are no right or wrong answers but it is important to encourage children to answer honestly.  Assure them that they are not alone in addressing any problems that arise. For a fun interactive way to talk with your children click here.

• Encourage: There are a lot of activities your children love to do.  Encourage what they love.  Their special interests, hobbies and actives are important to them and can protect them from bullying behavior.  Let them know they are important to you as well.  Help boost their confidence, give them a chance to have fun and meet others with the same interests.  Help build confidence and friendships that help protect them from bullying.  Teach them how to make new friends, how to be a good friend.  

• Model: Show them how to treat others with kindness and respect. Children learn from adults' actions.  By treating others with kindness and respect, adults show the children in their lives that there is no place for bullying.  Even if it seems like they are not paying attention, children are watching how adults manage stress and conflict as well as how they treat their friends, colleagues and families.

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If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts please contact the:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit their website at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org