Overweight and obesity as factors of bullying and stigma among children is very painful psychologically. We have a duty to bring up children who are physically and emotionally healthy.
If you have been with us on this site you must have learnt of several consequences of being overweight or obese and particularly to our children. We recently introduced bullying as one of the major consequences our overweight children face psychologically. We want to further on that and get answers to certain pertinent questions you may have. I therefore invite you to keep staying on the site and invite a friend or friends so that we pull together in the fight of overweight and obesity in our children and our children’s children. We have made it a priority in AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to do all we can to fight tooth and nail the scourge of obesity because we understand the pains it afflicts in our people’s lives. At this facility doctor Akoury the C.E.O has established a working team of experts to ensure good health for all of us in all dimensions. I want to encourage you that as the discussion progresses, you may consider calling doctor Akoury for a much more professional advice and treatment.
Bullying being one of the most psychological problems is a highly individualized experience just as physical pain is. Some days the child or teen may endure bullying better than others. It is therefore very important that the type of bullying, the level, intensity and frequency of contact with the bully or bullies be deliberated on when assessing and evaluating the emotional and physical consequences of being a victim. The result of such is that overweight children who are victims of bullying will avoid attending to activities at the playground or schools which will translate into their being inactive and poor performance academically. Besides this bullying can be very extreme in some case and lead to much more catastrophic results like suicide. This is very painful and so we must be careful when discussing the consequences of bullying in general terms since the threshold for different types of bullying will fluctuate from child to child.
It is always said that knowledge is power and therefore it will be very important that you are well informed adequately about this situation of bullying and especially in overweight or obese children. Remember that to addressing this situation with your children will require consistency, humility, compassion and above all listening to the child’s experience without judging them. I am not promising that it will be easy you must be ready to weather the obstacles which may come your way like for instance it can be tempting to portion blame on the child or even suggest that, “You need to learn to defend yourself.” Being overprotective may also be an option for you like “I must discuss this with his/her parents straightaway.” These are obstacles and should be avoided because they will make you harden your position which may only result in to making enemies. Therefore your best plan of action should be to show your child how to use all the resources available to create a safer and more secure environment for them.
- Surround your child with family and neighbors who know your child is being bullied and ask that they support you in protecting your child is not just important for your child but also to theirs as well.
- Cultivating a “zero tolerance” for bullying environment in your child’s community ensures all children have access to a safe, nurturing, learning environment.
- You and your child can work together to ensure all kids are safe and empowered to speak up against bullies.
- Remember, you may be the only person your child can trust and come to for help.
Remember that we are talking about one of the consequences of being overweight or obese and so if your child is a victim of bullying, the following are some of the things you can do to help:
- Schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury to get first hand professional treatment for the root course of the problem which is being overweight.
- Encourage your child to ask the adults around them for help.
- Encourage your child to join an organization or group at school. Be sure to create a safe and welcoming place for your child to have friends visit.
- The most important thing is to help your child stay safe by not trying to not worsen the situation.
- Help your child learn to defend themselves from bullies by encouraging them to stay calm, look the bully in the eye and stand up tall.
- When bullying incidents occur, write them down with your child. Keeping track of the incidents will help you prepare for meetings with teachers, parents and, if necessary, law enforcement officers.
- Enrolling children in self-defense or martial arts classes can build their confidence and teach them how to protect themselves from bullies even as they cut on weight.
- Make an appointment with your school principal and your child’s teacher to inform them of the bullying and to ask their help in addressing the situation. Ask about the school policies on bullying and for any available resources to help you and your child.
Looking from the discussion, the root course of the all problem is overweight, as a society we have a duty to transform our habits to be in line with the required standard of healthy lifestyle. Our children literally learn from our habits. Parents and families must ensure total change of vents towards healthy lifestyle. When we encourage the whole society into living and eating healthy food, participating on physical activities and supporting one another in ensuring this is achieved collectively or individually then we will be addressing the root course of the problem and our children will not become victims of bullying, stigma or lose their self-esteem.
As a community we have a duty to become the good ambassadors of change we want, therefore we need to create an intensified awareness about healthy lifestyle not just to our communities but also to the neighboring communities so that we do not have our children relapsing when they mingle with their friends from the neighborhood. We must also impact positively to the learning institutions where our children go to by encouraging good programs to help schools, parents and organizations create safe, secure environments for all children.
Finally, overweight children needs to hear the same positive message. They need us to step-up and advocate for their basic human right to safe, secure environments where they can grow and succeed. We need to work together to make it better for them. Talk of working together please call doctor Akoury today for better understanding of what your role would be as a parent.
