Thoughts and facts on bullying

Bullying is something which most of us have experienced or seen in our lives. It's sad to think that a lot of people who are bullied, often retreat into their own worlds and are too ashamed to reach out for help, and are often too scared to trust anyone. It's even more disheartening to know that bullying can drive some people to suicide! -That right there is the seriousness of it all, BULLYING KILLS! "Bullied children are 6 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their non-bullied counterparts"As a parent I understand that myself, along with school teachers, are the biggest influence in my children's lives. With my help and guidance my children learn to live and understand life in general, my children rely on me for security and they know they can turn to me to confide in. "18% of children and young people who worried about bullying said they would not talk to their parents about it".

My daughter aged 8, is bubbly, bright, confident, cheeky and full of life, but throughout most of last year [2011] this was not the case. She suffered at the hands of a bully in her school class and the confident young girl we know was now quiet, withdrawn, emotional and insecure. As a parent, all you want is for your children to be happy and most of all to be safe. She doesn't know it, but I cried for her on many occasions. "Almost half (46%) of children and young people say they have been bullied at school at some point in their lives" Even when myself along with her school worked hard and put a stop to the bullying, and built her confidence back up, she still wasn't the same girl she always was. This is because she felt intimidated by the other girl. It was only when the girl in question moved schools, that my daughter got her spark back and is now the ever loving cheeky little girl that everyone loves. But how would she be today if the girl had not have left that school?　
This is my point.. It is not always enough to just intervene and stop the bullying itself from happening. It is not always enough to help the victim in feeling safe, secure and confident. When all that is done, the bully is still a bully, being told no and being watched closely doesn't always change a big deal. We need to find out why they bully, we need to go deeper into the situation to prevent it ever happening again and furthermore we need to then assure the victim of the changes made and assure them it wont be happening again. If we can change their mentality and install remorse then this will play a big part in prevention.
I know that this method does take place, but in my opinion it should happen with every situation and not just the serious ones. Here at TYLP we believe that early intervention is the best prevention. We shouldn't wait for a situation to become extreme before we take the biggest actions. As I stated earlier... BULLYING KILLS. "Each year 10-14 youth suicides are directly attributed to bullying"