Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Put your kid in martial arts, boxing, or wrestling. Size matters less than you think.
+1
Just fyi, wrestling and boxing are types of martial arts.
Martial arts helps give people confidence. It’s good to know how to defend yourself.
Bullies tend to pick on those who are not confident.
+100
This is really it. Bullies target kids who aren’t confident. OP, work on building your son’s self esteem and confidence. I know it can be difficult- one of my boys was like this too. He is better as a teen, has found his niche.
I have nothing against martial arts, wrestling etc but I wouldn’t consider these a quick solution unless kid shows interest. If it builds confidence that is great- but have to agree with another poster who said an unathletic kid talking about his martial arts prowess would just get him bullied even more. I have two teen sons and understand how boys are- envisioning this actually makes me cringe for him... I’d focus on some other activity or interest (whatever he is into) and try other social activities to build confidence- ideally NOT with kids from school unless they are already friends. Let him work on his social skills in a different setting- day camps that interest him etc- summer is great for this.