[Jaynick]

My 13 year old daughter has been bullying another girl in her class for awhile apparently. The other child finally snapped and beat up my daughter during lunch at school. I'm furious because my child is physically hurt. She came home with a black eye among other bruises. But I'm also upset that she was bullying another girl. She has been suspended for a week from school. How should I handle this situation and prevent it from happening again?

 

[easydoesit]

Ok so she got the suspension that she deserved and is seeing some consequence for her actions. I'd get her into counseling to discuss both the fight and the bullying behavior.
I am sure you've had meetings with the school so I'd make sure you are following any actions they recommend.

 

[mumto1]

I wonder why she was bullying the other girl, was it some kind of jealousy or insecurity? From my experience of bullies it can be an entire pattern of behaviour, an outlook that persists for a very long time, it's odd that she would start now, no? Maybe I'm wrong. Hard to know what actually happened if you don't have impartial witnesses, but I'd say psychological torment can be worse than a slap or a punch. Do you know what form the bullying took? Does your daughter struggle socially? Is she immature for her age? Is she dealing with issues at home?

 

[MatthewBarr]

Sorry To Hear That

I'm really sorry to hear that. Maybe she'll learn from this, kids are smart, ya know.

 

[diana_33]

You should have her grounded at home too. She has to understand that you can´t go and bully people around. In a strange way, you have to be happy she got what she deserved because this is a very valuable lesson for her in the future life. Like I said, ground her at home too, so she never gets that idea again in her head. I am sure she will learn the lesson out of it.