Why do so many people talk about bullying as if it is a school issue only?

Question

Childhoods are ruined by bullying older siblings where parents refuse to discipline the bully. When bullying happens in the home there's no escape and health implications are enormous. So why don't people talk about sibling bullying or pass it off as rivalry instead of facing up to the reality that many siblings bully on a daily basis?

Answer 1

some parents pass it off as rivalry is due to ignorance and bullying goes on in the classroom all the way to the workplace until some does something about it it will continue.

Answer 2

Good question and good points. Adults can be a victim of bullying just as much as children can. And in some ways, it can have an even more immense mental impact on the adult because "bullying doesn't happen to grown-ups."

Open up any dictionary and turn to B. It doesn't say: "Bullying - children tormenting other children in school." Bullying is, quite simply, any act of cruelty towards another person. There are no specified age groups or locations in which bullying takes place. It's just become a stereotype that bullying is something which is confirned to the school gates.

I think the trouble with sibling bullying, to stick with your original point, is that like you said it's often passed off as rivalry. It's normal for siblings to quarrel, and maybe even push and pinch each other a bit to see who gets to use the Playstation. But sometimes there's a lot more going on beneath the surface and what you see is just the tip of the iceberg. Bullying is by nature quite a hidden thing and often both parties - both bully and bullied - will work hard to conceal what is really going on. In adulthood, this problem is even harder to curb. Adults tend to keep quiet. A great example is male rape... they don't speak up because "it's not supposed to happen to them."

Great question. Thanks for making me think.

Answer 3

I guess that's where everybody associates it.It's a common issue right across the board.Most of the bullying does happen in the home,even though a lot of people don't or won't realise it.
I've tried explaining to my 3 younger children,that calling each other names and such,is bullying.
I have just found out that one of my children was being bullied at school,and as a result,he was a complete nightmare at home,being generally nasty to everybody,destroying anything he could get his hands on.
All this came out,after i was called into the school because of some remarks my son had made.
I don't condone what my son said,but it made everybody realise there was a problem,and he'd had enough.Since that episode,he's been totally different,both at home and at school.
I didn't realise how much it had affected him,until i saw the difference in his behaviour.Now he's having sessions at school to help him be more assertive,and to bring him out of himself.
It is a shame that children are so nasty to each other,but parents need to see that favouring one child more than another can cause frictions as well.
Sometimes we,as parents don't see what we're doing wrong

Answer 4

Thats a really good point actually. Society in general sees siblingsfighting and teasing as the norm. They wouldn't consider an older brother picking on his younger sister for example as an issue at all. Just a bit of harmless banter that they will grow out of. Sometimes though, it could lead to serious issues in later life but is not called bullying.

Answer 5

I don't know why they deny it, bullying can be done anywhere at any age even adults have to put up with it. many siblings put up with bullying in the home and parents should be more aware of what is happening and take responsibility for the issues.

Answer 6

It's not even just school. It can be at work as well. I suppose in a way it is probably about airing your dirty laundry people like to keep things private through embarrassment, so people don't say anything. Plus there is a lot of ignorance towards bullying itself. Is is violence alone? It can be taunting, verbal abuse, leaving people out. When being asked if you are being picked on people don't know what to do say.

People are sacred to say anything especially about a family member in case they break up the family. One way to get rid of bullying is for people to be fully informed and to know what to look for. I think bullying is anything, ANYTHING, that makes a person fell isolated, threatened, like an outcast.

Answer 7

Good point. Maybe you are the one to get this message out to the public. Work on it. The reason you hear of bullying mostly in schools, is because it is out there in the public eye. In home abuse, from any source, is still swept under the rug. Make it an issue. If you are in school, write a paper on it and present it to one of your teachers and make a school project based on it.

Answer 8

And it's not just children who are bullied. Adults bully other adults too. Probhably in a more subtle manner, but it's bullying nonetheless.