Tina Meier's daughter took her own life in 2006 after being cyberbullied. Now, 16 years later, the problem hasn't stopped. 14-year-old Riverview School District student Spirit Butler recently took her life after reported bullying.
Tina Meier is now the founder of the St. Charles-based Megan Meier Foundation, which is ready to help parents who suspect their kids are facing trouble with peers at school. She joined Total Information AM to talk about the effect bullying has on kids, and what parents can do to support their kids.
"Just watching the parents talk on TV and seeing their faces, you can see just the deep sadness and grief. And of course, it instantly breaks your heart," Meier said. "And I think of knowing all of the things that I went through all of the grief, all of the anger, and, you know, you wish you could take the pain away for that family."
She said that often when kids are getting bullied, they don't tell parents or guardians until things get really bad. So, she said, once you find out it's best to document everything like communications with the school regarding what your child told you, or what the school policies around bullying are.
"Another big piece is is listening to your child about what they're feeling, what they're going through, how can you help them," she said. "And many times if you're seeing that your child is really struggling to contact your primary care doctor or pediatrician, see if they think that maybe they do need to talk to a therapist, or a counselor for the things that they're going through."
She said the hardest part is that often, a kid can get bullied by different people in different settings, and each situation gets handled differently.
"Which is why many times these children feel like no one cares, no one's there to support them," Meier said. "But there are definitely are things that we can do. Sometimes it's listening to that child and and validating how they feel and trying to find some solutions."
Hear more from Tina Meier on how to support kids who are dealing with bullying at school:
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