Being overweight is a problem that everyone experiences individually. And if adults can still cope with it on their own, then the child, in most cases, needs the help of parents or a qualified specialist.
Many parents of children who have problems with overweight do not pay enough attention to this situation. Meanwhile, children can experience extreme stress when interacting with peers. Yes, it’s much easier to give your child another bun or candy and say: don’t pay attention, you are my best,”those who tease are like that and so on. But the problem is that this will not resolve the conflict, but, on the contrary, it may take on a more serious character.
Meanwhile, this problem has already been dealt with in the Department of Education, having put forward a proposal to create separate educational institutions for obese children. Of course, the bill failed on the first reading, but the proposal itself indicates the scale of the problem.
Why are overweight children bullied?
Children are quite cruel and suspicious. Most often, bullying is tolerated by those who at least somehow stand out from the rest - too thin or overweight, wears glasses, redhead, short or opposite to the "big guy", overly shy and so on.
Both several people from the collective and one can be ridiculed. Usually, the leader in the class turns out to be the most insolent, others try to follow his example - they mock, come up with offensive nicknames and do dirty tricks. But this is all self-defense: how else? If I stand up for the "fat man" and they immediately write me down as losers."
If at preschool age children can still share their problems with their parents, then schoolchildren are more secretive and experience everything in themselves. Therefore, the parents of many children, who are regularly humiliated by their peers, may not even know what difficulties their child faces on a daily basis.
Consequences of bullying due to being overweight
If a child regularly experiences stress due to humiliation about weight, then this not only negatively affects his child's self-esteem, but can also drastically affect his entire life, causing serious mental problems. The child may become withdrawn or, on the contrary, aggressive, and self-esteem will decrease. He will try in every possible way to avoid meeting with offenders, skip school, not go out to the blackboard once again, even if he knows the material perfectly well. As a result, a completely intelligent child drops to triples and twos. And the worst thing is that often children who are ridiculed by their classmates resort to suicide as the only possible solution to the problem.
How can parents know if their child is an outcast?
If the child frankly does not talk about humiliation at school, this can be recognized by the following signs:
• The child is constantly looking for a reason for missing classes; • At home, the child prepares the material, and as a result gives an unsatisfactory mark; • The child spends all his free time at home, does not walk with friends, does not invite them home; • Frequent mood swings are accompanied by aggression; • The child abruptly refuses to eat or, on the contrary, strenuously "seizes" his problems.
How can parents help their child cope with peer pressure?
If your child is overweight and by all indications he has problems because of this, the first thing a parent should do is try to bring the child into a sincere conversation. Share your school experiences: if a parent experienced similar problems, talk about it and how a way out of the situation was found. Tell about a fat boy from the class who also successfully overcame all difficulties. Make it clear to the child that he is not alone in this problem, and you are familiar with these feelings.
Do not try to resolve the situation yourself! The main mistake of so many parents is that as soon as they find out about the child's problem, with a veil of anger in their eyes, they go to the parents of the offender, or even worse, to the offender himself! This has a completely opposite effect and will add “sissy” to the standard "fatty meat" for your child.
If a child is having problems due to obesity, it is necessary to fight with obesity. In most cases, childhood obesity is associated with poor nutrition. Establish a diet by eliminating all unhealthy foods.
Give your child to the sports section. There are a lot of advantages here, which lie not only in the fact that the child will lose extra pounds, but also in the fact that a child who has experienced the taste of victory at least once will never forget it and will become more self-confident.
When to scream SOS! Many children, after being bullied by their peers, fall into a psychological crisis. This requires the intervention of an experienced specialist. Parents are required to remain calm and wait patiently. Wait until the child is ready to get out of this state. It is not worth shouting or scandals to prohibit approaching the refrigerator. Now more than ever, your child needs your support, and if the pressure continues at home, the child may withdraw into himself.
As an emergency measure, you can transfer your child to another school, where he can start from scratch. In most cases, it is a change in environment and team that has a positive impact.
