I was bullied mercilessly in high school.... Trying to befriend them, laugh with them, and avoid them never worked.
Public education is like Lord of the flies. Bullying makes some kids feel powerful, and others feed off that power or shrink from it less they become the target of the bullying. The only response to bullying that ever worked was when I punched them in the mouth. That was in the mid 2000s and no matter how much I complained, no matter how much my parents complained, the teachers and the administration did absolutely nothing.
The way to bully proof your kids is to remove them from public education. Private or homeschool.
Public education is like Lord of the flies. Bullying makes some kids feel powerful, and others feed off that power or shrink from it less they become the target of the bullying. The only response to bullying that ever worked was when I punched them in the mouth. That was in the mid 2000s and no matter how much I complained, no matter how much my parents complained, the teachers and the administration did absolutely nothing.
The way to bully proof your kids is to remove them from public education. Private or homeschool.