fbpx
Home » Blog

Is Your Child Starting High School? Make Sure They're Safe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

You send your child off to school with pens, pencils, gym kits, and calculators; like all adults, unfortunately you can’t give them a protective force-field (as much as you might like to), but what you can do is make sure that they are as safe as possible when they start a new school. Entering high school can be a daunting step from the relative security of elementary school.

Classroom

To enhance their academic performance, your child has to be in an environment that they feel safe in. Prepare them for the difficulties they may face at school, including bullying. We’d all like to think that our kids will make friends easily and have a great time at school, free from name-calling and sometimes even physical abuse. Bullying, however, is a common reality for many children, and you may not notice.

At dinner, talk to your child about their day and ask if there are any problems at school. If you are suspicious, ask them in private if they are being bullied or if they are seeing anyone being bullied at school. This is easier if you pick up on the warning signs: an abnormal drop in grades, no apparent friends, physical bruises, and torn clothes.

Teach your child that violence is not the answer and that hurting others is bad. Earning a reputation as a bully at school is wrong, so encourage them to be compassionate to their fellow classmates and report any bullying at school to a teacher.

Check with their school that they are up to date with all the health and safety regulations, paying particular attention to things such as lab furniture and equipment, as the science rooms can be one of the most dangerous areas for your child.

Travelling

Map out a safe route with your child to their bus stop. They’ll probably be nervous on their first day, so they will appreciate you going with them (although maybe not to the bus stop itself, as you’ll cramp their style)! Convince them to always take the pedestrian crossings and encourage them to make friends in the area to walk to the bus stop with. Just in case of emergency, if your kid doesn’t know their address and your number off-by-heart, get them to commit it to memory.

free e-book
Free E-Cookbook

Sign up for our emails and get our free Simply Sweet E-Cookbook?

Always get your child to the bus stop early and advise them never to walk behind the bus. Buses are ideal places for bullying, so again, make sure that they are safe and happy on their journey. As their parent, you should also be a friend to them that they feel they can approach. If your child does not have a good relationship with you, it can compromise their safety.

The Internet

Your child may know not to talk to strangers or get into cars with bad people, but in this age of technology they may be vulnerable to strangers online. Show them how easy it is to create a fake identity online and encourage them only to talk to people they know in real life on the internet.

This guest post was written by Francesca on behalf of www.innova-solutions.co.uk

By on September 20th, 2012

About Powered by Mom

I’m Michelle aka Powered by Mom. I’m married with one daughter, my hubby was my high school sweetheart, our two dogs Nyx and Cleo and our cat Oliver. As you can see we’re a family of animal lovers. We love to travel when we can, try different food and activities all over the world and enjoy being together. My passions are writing, travelling, creating new recipes, encouraging people to adopt not shop and just to enjoy life while we can.

More posts by this author.

4 thoughts on “Is Your Child Starting High School? Make Sure They're Safe”

  1. We home school our kids-- but we always have to watch out on the internet--Bulling yup when they were in public school, and in the private school--that is why they are home schooled-- We have even had a little of the bullying at church- but there it is nipped in the bud immediately--It a Village that raises the child--attitude--which works well for all. With our family game night we have discussions on how they feel, and what they would like to see changed in our home schooling with six you could only imagine. Thanks for the insite-- Even when they are home there are issues to deal with.

    Reply
  2. Bullying is definitely something I talk to my son about on a regular basis. I believe that a child's behavior issues begin at home. We keep an open line of communication at all times, both about how he treats others and how other's treat him.

    Reply
  3. My boys know that they're smart and make wise decisions. They also know my husband and I have their backs no matter what, we trust their judgement. Unfortunately my oldest son had to step in and stand up for a pal of his last year. Although my heart sang with joy that my child is his own man now, I'm saddened that bullying is more common that ever in schools now. This year he started high school and so far so good. The youngest is in his last year of elementary school and will transition to middle school and I hope he follows in his brother's foot steps. Great post with great advice!

    Reply
  4. bullying is still as big as an issue now as it was when i went to school. i have taught my girls to stick up for others that may be getting bullied and to be friends with kids that may look like they are alone and don't have any friends. i think this helps them as well knowing how to show compassion, being more outgoing and accepting of others.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sugar Cookie Bars With Chocolate Ganache Story Easy Chocolate Lollipops Story Strawberry Paleo Fudge Bites Story Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich Recipe Story Easy Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry Soup Story