How Martial Arts Combats Bullying
By Kerrie McLoughlin
736 words
Please contact me at mommykerrie@yahoo.com if you'd like to see this piece in full to consider purchasing it for your parenting magazine, either online or in print!
According to StopBullying.gov,
a study found that approximately 49% of kids in 4th through 12th
grade said they had been bullied at least one time in the previous month. Bullying
can lead to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, poor performance in school
and, in some extreme cases, even suicide.
Where is bullying happening? It’s happening most often at
school, including at recess and on the school bus, but school isn’t the only
place. It also occurs where kids are gathering in large groups, like at
amusement parks, block parties, campgrounds and swimming pools. And of course
we can’t forget about cyberbullying, which includes using cell phones and
computers as ways to bully with words and spread untrue words and embarrassing
photos.
So what can we,
as parents, do about this widespread problem? Well, it turns out martial
arts is a great place to start. Of course, martial arts can’t necessarily
tackle the cyberbullying issue, but it can give our kids the self-confidence
they need to handle people who are not treating them well in a specific
situation.
Kerrie McLoughlin is
the homeschooling mom of 5, author of several ebooks on Amazon.com and blogger
at TheKerrieShow.com.
