Skip section navigation (navigation may have changed)
Section navigation
Parents & Caregivers
![mother and daughter](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080917211946im_/http://4girls.gov/parents/images/bullyparents.jpg)
Is your daughter a bully?
Because girls tend to bully in less obvious ways than boys, it is often hard to determine if your daughter is a bully. Talk to your daughter regularly and be on the lookout for signs of bullying, such as suddenly dropping a close friend.
A bully often:
- seeks to dominate and/or manipulate others
- enjoys feeling powerful and in control (whether real or not)
- seems to get satisfaction from other’s fears, discomfort, or pain
- is good at hiding behaviors or doing them where adults can’t notice
- is excited by conflicts between others
- blames others for his/her problems
- displays intolerance and prejudice towards others
- lacks empathy towards others
If you think your daughter is a bully…
- Tell her that bullying is NOT acceptable behavior.
- Tell her the penalties for bullying and be sure that you enforce them fairly and consistently.
- Help her learn other ways to deal with anger and frustration.
- Teach and reward better behavior.
- Work out a way for her to apologize for the bullying.
- Help her to understand how her bullying has affected the person who has been bullied.
- Seek help or counseling if the bullying does not stop.
- If contacted by the school, stay calm; try not to become angry and defensive. Make an effort to really listen. Keep in mind, this is about the well-being of your child.
Talk to your daughter.
Is your daughter being bullied?
Content last updated November 11, 2007