Whether you’re a coach or a parent, you should be prepared to recognize and respond to one of the most common forms of negative behavior associated with sports teams: bullying. Bullying is an issue in every part of our kids’ lives — from the locker rooms to home rooms to social media. And statistics show that more than half the time, kids don’t tell adults about bullying situations.
So, how can we help stop something when we don’t even know is happening?
The answer is to put the power to stop bullying in our kids’ hands. We can make sure they have the knowledge to recognize when someone is being bullied and know how to safely intervene. Our kids have the most power to transform team and school culture and we need them to help us build a climate of civility and good sportsmanship. They rely on us to guide them and show them that bullying is never okay. Here are some tips to turn our kids from potential bullying bystanders in to upstanders: people who recognize when bullying is taking place and stand up against it.