Bullying is defined as
the use of superior strength or influence to intimidate others, or
a person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker. By this definition, bullying can happen at school, in your social group,
or even at work. Bullying is not something that happens once; it is repeated
and can become habitual.
So how do you know if you are being bullied? Do you fall under one of the
definitions above? Have the interactions become repeated? If you answered
yes to both, then you are being bullied.
The next question you may have is, how do you handle a bully? Do you tell
the teacher? Do you tell an adult? The answer here is simple: yes, and
yes. However, sometimes those adults are unable to help for a wide variety
of reasons.
If an adult is unable to help you at the moment, and you are comfortable
taking a stand, I’d like to offer one effect way to handle being
bullied: humor. The extent to which you use humor should be determined
by your personal style and the overall situation.
For example, if someone who has been bullying you says that you have a
“big butt,” you could simply respond by saying something like
“did you need my big butt to get through the crowd?” or with
singing “I like big butts and I cannot lie!” This funny response
is not the typical reaction that the bully is prepared for you to make.
When making a humorous response to a bully, there are really two rules to it:
1. You should not attack the bully back in any way.
2. You have to make sure what you are saying back to them is appropriate
for the environment you are in. This means that you should not use foul
language at school when making a joke out of something the bully is saying
to you. You may also want to practice this with your family or friends.
In conclusion, you want to first attempt to tell an adult about bullying
that is happening (to you or to another), but you can always use humor
as a way to make a negative interaction into a more positive one.
The Campbell County Medical Group
Kid Clinic is a school-based pediatric clinic offering medical care and counseling
services for Campbell County students in pre-kindergarten through 12th
grade and their siblings ages 2 weeks and up. It is located at 800 Butler
Spaeth Rd., across from St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. The Kid Clinic
is open Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm. For more information, call 307-688-8700 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/kidclinic.
The Kid Clinic is a collaborative effort between Campbell County Health and
Campbell County School District.
This blog was written by
Brianne Wooldridge, PPC, Kid Clinic Counselor