Last Updated on March 1, 2013.
Yes, it’s a good idea to raise awareness about bullying, and have bullying lectures, demonstrations and conferences. It can REDUCE bullying. But, it will not eliminate bullying.
If your child is being bullied, will you depend on, “raising awareness” to eliminate it?
What’s the most effective way to stop bullies?
The best chance children have to overcome bullying is to learn to be in control of their own lives. To be confident. To make sure the bully knows they will not be a weak and easy target.
Yes, it is almost ALWAYS scary when you first make the decision to do something about it… To REALLY stand up against it. It can be a gut wrenching decision to imagine your child’s first steps against bullying… But, can bullying be eliminated? Teachers and other adults can’t eliminate it. If they could, they would have done so already.
If your child is being bullied today, will a lecture in the school stop the bullying tomorrow? Will there even be a lecture in the school?
At some point, to eliminate bullying, we must actually do something about it. So, there MUST be some kind of first step.
So, what are those first steps toward going to look like? Will your child fail? Will your child get hurt? What do we do?
The shortest route to end bullying is to not be intimidated by bullies.
Yeah, well, bullies are successful at intimidating. That’s what they do. So, of course, it would be great if our children wouldn’t be intimidated. You can’t wave a magic wand and get our children to no longer be intimidated.
Maybe there isn’t a magic wand, but there is something else. How do we move quickly from being intimidated to not being intimidated without taking risks? Without getting hurt?
Here’s the thing…
Self-confidence is kryptonite to bullies.
This is super important…
Self-confidence is KRYPTONITE TO BULLIES.
Do you ever see bullies picking on the confident kids? It’s difficult to imagine they would.
We want our children to face their daily life with confidence. We don’t want our child to stumble into a future, feeling tormented on some level. Negative feelings drag a child’s heart down. It’s tougher to face life, knowing a bully will intimidate you again one day soon… and again… and again, just like the day before.
Imagine the sadness a bullied child carries around every day. Will every ounce of that sadness disappear completely when they graduate? Not likely. And why wait that long anyway? If nothing is done about it on some level, right now, it can weigh their hearts down… in relationships, at work, when they have a family of their own. It’s frustrating!!!
A happy child is a child who feels good about overcoming challenges. The child is NOT weighed down. Where do you imagine children learn to confront obstacles… to develop a sense of achievement? How about a structured environment where they blossom and learn to face hurdles… to accomplish what they set their mind to. To be persistent. To grab the gold ring!
Tiger Schulmann’s martial arts instruction instills an intense, focused mindset. This goal-directed mentality coupled with a non-quitting spirit overcomes obstacles… overcomes bullying. Bullying is a systematic process. We teach children about the process and how to diffuse it as soon as they see it developing. When bullying is stopped in its initial stages, it doesn’t lead to violence. When your child learns not to be intimidated, bullying stops.
Bullies don’t pick on children who feel confident and accomplished. They pick on kids they can intimidate.
It’s that simple. We teach children, even some of the most unconfident, timid children NOT to be intimidated… To believe in themselves… To know they are a valuable, gifted person who can pursue life without getting knocked down. And, if their pace is slower than others? SO WHAT! Go for it! Keep making progress! Keep moving. You can do it!
We will NOT allow your child to feel as if they are not progressing. They will ALWAYS be making progress. Sometimes, it might not feel like they’re making progress. But… that’s a fake feeling… that’s when we’re unconsciously making the decision between quitting, and not quitting. And we teach children not to quit!
Here’s something else you may have never guessed…
Many of our instructors — all of them dedicated, hardworking professionals — were victims of bullying themselves.
Yep! Many of these super-confident, highly-trained martial arts instructors were once bullied. They suffered systematic taunting designed to drain them of their optimism, joy, and confidence
They are so dedicated to helping the victims of bullying and have so much compassion, that they own their own schools. That’s how they, “give back.” They help kids who suffer through what they suffered through. Yes, these are martial arts instructors who are empathetic and honestly care about kids… They were tortured once too.
Well? Do we rely on raising awareness about bullying to stop the bully who’s tormenting your child?
Remember your child’s first steps? How you were afraid they might fall? Taking the steps to stop bullying can feel the same way. Before you know it, your child is running, playing, jumping, having a great time. In hindsight, it’s easy to laugh how we gasped when we thought our child fell. Enrolling your child in martial arts can feel the same way. You can look back and see that your hesitation was unfounded. You enrolled them when they were stumbling, afraid and bullied. Now they’re running.
Help your child stand up and take the first step
They can pursue a life without worrying about what will happen in school that day. When a bully tests them to decide if your child is an easy target, your child will be confident and know — they will not be intimidated. No, not by this bully kid. In nearly every case, the bully will move on.
To find out how we can help your child overcome bullying, we offer a 1-hour FREE TRIAL. They will participate in a class and you can meet with an instructor, an anti-bullying expert with over a decade of experience to discuss how we will build confidence in your child and put an end to the bullying. Contact your nearest Tiger Schulmann’s MMA school to set up an appointment for a FREE TRIAL. We’ll even throw in a FREE pair of training gloves with the lesson.
We deeply care about bullied children and know how to overcome it. Call 800-52-TIGER for a consultation and the free trial if you know, or even suspect, that your child is being bullied.