Northern Ont. family speaks out about the impact of bullying
Bullying is an issue that many of us have experienced and that children continue to face today.
A Kirkland Lake mother told CTV News that her son has been afraid to go back to school after facing aggression from another student.
She said it started with parents breaking up a fight outside their school. We are not releasing the family’s full name.
“The altercation continued after recess, into the gym class, where things got physical,” Terry said.
“From there, threats were uttered that the child involved was going to shoot my son and his best friend. He was scared to walk home from school that night … he’s still shook from it.”
Terry said the bully got a five-day suspension after police searched the school and didn’t find a weapon.
Her son then met with a therapist.
“She was 100 per cent behind him in saying that what happened to you is valid,” she said.
“The trauma that you feel is valid. The feelings and anxiety that you’re feeling, in regard to going back to school, are valid.”
Timmins therapist Kaitlin Senkus said that’s what every adult should do for a child who’s facing bullying.
“With the best intentions, we’ll brush it off or dismiss it as, ‘it’s fine, it’ll get better when you’re older,’” Senkus said.
“Or, you know, ‘it won’t last forever’ and we’ll try and make them feel better by thinking about the future, but it doesn’t help in the moment.”
While some parents may want to take charge, she said it’s important to involve their child in finding a solution.
“You get to help the child problem solve themselves and think critically and, kind of, analyze and come up with those solutions,” Senkus said.
She said parents also need to understand why children bully. It’s often rooted in insecurities and an inability to process emotions.
“In the moment, they don’t have any other way of working through those emotions, working through those behaviours, because no one ever taught them,” Senkus said.
She said adults need to help both parties understand that physical and verbal bullying can cause lasting mental health issues in the victim — and that the bully may be coming from a rough place.
Terry’s hoping her son’s bully will see that.
“I hope that the child gets the counselling and the help that he needs to move past this, just like the other children that were involved,” she said.
Teaching children healthy communication is the key, Senkus said. Parents on both sides of the issue may also try working together, as long as they can model proper problem-solving for their kids.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.