No parent wants to get a call from the school principal about bullying. But what if you’re told that YOUR kid is the bully?

Bullying is a problem that cannot be ignored – by anyone! The good news is that there are things you can do to help change your child’s bullying behavior.

Children who bully may have low self-esteem or are insecure in some way. Kids who feel confident about themselves typically don’t need to bully other children. The best way to get your child not to bully is to get to what is bothering him or her. Maybe they are not doing well in school, or they are upset about something at home.

If you‘re told that your kid is the bully, there are several steps that you can take to stop your child from bullying others.

- The first step is to take bullying seriously, that it’s not just a “passing phase.”

- Talk to your child, and make them understand that other people are being hurt by their actions and it is very wrong to hurt other children’s feelings in an attempt to feel better about themselves. It is important to let your child understand that situations can be resolved without bullying

- Try to understand why your child is behaving this way. Are they having issues or problems at home or elsewhere?

- Discuss with your child the effects of bullying. For example, other people no longer want to be around them.

- Ask a teacher or counselor if your child is having problems at school and seek help from the school staff to resolve the bullying.

Your child bullying others does not make you a bad parent. But you will need to take steps, with the help of your school staff to stop the behavior. The sooner you start the intervention, the better it is for your child.

SchoolAssemblies is the leading presenter of school assemblies in the mid-Atlantic states.

This post has been updated from its originally publishing date.