Dealing with teasing (middle school)

[Anonymous]

DS has come home saying he’s being teased about his looks/voice and “in general”. It’s tough to say if it’s all true teasing vs stupid insults that boys throw at each other.

Feel like I’m just saying meaningless reassurance and want to sympathize and attempt to make him feel better. It’s been a crap semester (multiple LDs)

To me, he’s normal looking and maybe there is a slight awkwardness to his voice that’s tough to describe (had been in speech therapy when younger and “graduated”)

[Anonymous]

Kids are so mean. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Middle school is truly the worst. I’m sorry. Be there to listen if he brings it up so you can hear if it’s typical middle school BS or something more that needs intervention. It’s good he’s talking to you.

[Anonymous]

Tell him to tell them to shut the f up.

[Anonymous]

Does he have a group of friends or places he feels welcome? For a while in early middle school, I think social skills group (with no kids from school) was the only place my kid had positive social interaction. It won’t make school better but having a good experience somewhere will help him. It doesn’t need to be social skills- it could be any activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does he have a group of friends or places he feels welcome? For a while in early middle school, I think social skills group (with no kids from school) was the only place my kid had positive social interaction. It won’t make school better but having a good experience somewhere will help him. It doesn’t need to be social skills- it could be any activity.

For my kid, it was the band kids. Same idea - a group he felt comfortable in for one class a day. That’s what it took for him to be able to become less of a target and to shrug off what came his way.

Middle school is so hard!

[Anonymous]

This is all boys seem to do in middle school...this year seemed to be worse than others for my DS. He had been complaining about teasing for a while but it escalated a bit to where he stopped wanting to go to a particular class and his focus and ability to progress in the subject started to suffer. That was when I got the school involved. The teachers and admin do want to know about this stuff so they can help if it is starting to have a real negative impact on your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS has come home saying he’s being teased about his looks/voice and “in general”. It’s tough to say if it’s all true teasing vs stupid insults that boys throw at each other.

Feel like I’m just saying meaningless reassurance and want to sympathize and attempt to make him feel better. It’s been a crap semester (multiple LDs)

To me, he’s normal looking and maybe there is a slight awkwardness to his voice that’s tough to describe (had been in speech therapy when younger and “graduated”)

This sounds like bullying. Report it.

[Anonymous]

It sucks that other parents are raising jerks. I second reporting it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS has come home saying he’s being teased about his looks/voice and “in general”. It’s tough to say if it’s all true teasing vs stupid insults that boys throw at each other.

Feel like I’m just saying meaningless reassurance and want to sympathize and attempt to make him feel better. It’s been a crap semester (multiple LDs)

To me, he’s normal looking and maybe there is a slight awkwardness to his voice that’s tough to describe (had been in speech therapy when younger and “graduated”)

This sounds like bullying. Report it.

It could be or it could be friends or acquaintances giving each other a hard time. This isn’t nice or okay, but typical middle school nasty behavior and not exactly bullying. This is why OP needs to keep talking to her kid and listening before just reporting it. That can actually make it worse. And if it rises to targeted bullying then you do something.

Yes, finding his own group of good supportive friends in any activity is helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to tell them to shut the f up.

And actually, this may be the best advice and most effective if your kid can pull it off with a nonchalant attitude at this age.