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Why Do My Children Need Personal Safety Training? (Part 2)
Oct 15, 2024
2 min read
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We often hear of an epidemic of bullying at schools, with efforts by schools to address the issue offering mixed results, and our children feeling less safe and secure. Bullying encompasses elements of force, threatened force, and harassment stemming from a perceived imbalance of power. In short, those with more perceived power assert their dominance over those who are perceived as having less. The common belief is that bullies engage in these activities because they have issues with confidence or self-esteem, but recent studies have shown that the causes for this behavior may be more complex. For anyone that has been in school at any point in their lives, they have likely observed, or been the target of, some element of bullying in which someone was harassed, pushed, threatened, intimidated, and/or assaulted. The challenge lies in the intended target being able to respond with sufficient strength and conviction to put the aggressor on the defensive and rethink his (or her) actions, thus deterring any further bullying.

Although informing adults or other authority figures is appropriate and expected in the school environment, the initial response by the intended target also makes an impression on the bully. If the intended target adopts a defensive posture and verbal response that exhibits fear and a lack of confidence, the bully becomes emboldened to continue the attack. However, if the intended target presents a posture that includes a strong, confident verbal response and unwavering eye contact, the bully will think twice about continuing. Insight Personal Safety LLC can help your child develop those strong, confident verbal responses and, if applicable, school-appropriate defensive tactics skills to stay safe.
School provides an opportunity for children to achieve approval and a sense of self from positive, life-affirming activities and interactions. Unfortunately, for those that possess bullying tendencies, that approval often comes at the expense of those that they bully, demean, disrespect, and otherwise harm. Having age and school-appropriate personal safety training that functions effectively within the parameters of the school environment, and that encompasses verbal de-escalation and defensive tactics that stop/control the threat of harm, will allow your child to walk with confidence while developing academic, athletic, artistic, and social skills at school.

Please let us know how Insight Personal Safety LLC can help your family manage bullying that your child is currently experiencing, or how we can proactively develop school-appropriate responses before a bullying incident occurs.