Alfie Kohn, author of “The Myth of the Spoiled Child” shares that punishment does not address the problem of bullying at its core since bullies might not necessarily understand what they’re doing, or how it impacts other people. He adds that bullies might still continue what they’re doing so long as they can get away with it.
He adds that punishment can even sometimes be the cause of bullying, as punishment usually comes from someone with power (a parent) and is directed towards someone with no power (a child). This can lead to children thinking that they can get their way by using force over someone with less power.
Kohn says that the best way to handle bullying would be to work with the bully, instead of punishing them. Instead of parents and educators intimidating the bully, they should try and work with the child in a way that’s positive and supportive. Parents and educators shouldn’t do anything that resembles bullying since that would just reinforce the negative behaviour even further.
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