Is Your Toddler Is Being Bullied?
The following excerpt is from a series of articles on parenting toddlers:
When you send your toddler off to pre-school or on a play date with a friend, the last thing on your mind is that something might go wrong. While you are out running your daily errands or simply enjoying a little well-earned spare time, there is a possibility that your toddler could be threatened with physical and/or emotional harm in your absence. Would you know the many signs that would indicate that all is not well?
In 2005, a national survey reported that an astonishing 63% of children ages four through ten say they are or have been bullied by other children of the same or similar age. The same survey found that only 18% of these children’s parents or caretakers knew or suspected that their child was being bullied.
Bullying is defined as one person using his/her age, size, and aggressive nature to hurt and control other, vulnerable children. Bullies are people who have a very poor self-esteem and dominate others in a futile attempt to increase their sense of self-worth. Bullies can be any age, gender, or ethnic class. Young bullies, if their behavior is unchecked, become older bullies. In children, the psychiatric diagnosis of Conduct Disorder is just the beginning of the development of cruel, dominating behavior, refusal to follow social and family rules, substance abuse beginning at a young age, gang affiliation, school suspensions and learning disorders, and a lack of remorse for their actions. As these children reach age 18, they are diagnosed with the Antisocial Personality Disorder; in most cases, this diagnosis results in criminal behavior. An estimated 89% of prison inmates in this country are ASPD. This personality disorders are not “curable;” it’s indicative of deeply-ingrained personality characteristics.
Read the rest of this article here: Toddler Bullying
