Bullying is common even from children who are confident and popular. A common misconception about bullying is that bullies are usually children with low self-esteem and are trying to compensate for their own problems. This is not the case and frequently bullies are confident, popular students who pick on others for the fun of it. Bullies often act out as a way to dominate others and to impress their friends. Bullies feel no remorse for what they do and are often in trouble in other areas of school. Bullies who are shown proper ways to interact with other are more likely to have serious problems later in life. It is common for children who are bullies in school to develop problems with the law later as adults and to get involved with drug and alcohol abuse.

Any child can be the victim of bullying, but some types of students are more likely than others to be targeted. Any child that is different whether it is race, ethnicity, religion, physical limitations or mental limitations is at a higher risk of being bullied. Bullying is more common among boys than girls and is more likely to be physical. It is common for bullying among girls to be emotional and based on what children say about each other. Bullying can take place anywhere that children interact, including on the computer and over the phone.

The bullying misconception that boys are only kids that bully is also wrong. Boys do bully more than girls, but girls can also be bullies. Bullying among boys is often physical where girls tend to use emotional bullying by saying mean things and spreading rumors to humiliate people. Both types of bullying can have devastating effects on bullying victims and leave them with self esteem problems and a lifetime of insecurity.

Many people think that remarks made with bullying most commonly target intelligence and are meant to demean a person. Studies suggest, however, that the most common insults used while bullying are about a kid's perceived sexual orientation. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is the most common thing kids tease each other about. Finding socially unacceptable faults such as these make some children easier targets for bullying. There are many bullying misconceptions and truly understanding what bullying is will help to stop and prevent it.

Bullying often happens in unsupervised areas so to prevent bullying tell your kids to avoid being alone in hallways, at recess, and in other areas of the school. Encourage your child to meet and associate with quality friends as bullies are more likely to target children that are alone. Another way to prevent bullying is to advise your child to walk away from situation with bullies. Many times ignoring bullying attempts is the best way to prevent bullying as most bullies are trying to get a reaction out of the children they pick on.

Bullies who are not stopped early can suffer from long term effects. A bully who is never taught appropriate ways to deal with their problems will most likely continue being aggressive and bullying others into their adult life. Bullies are also more likely to commit crimes and be involved in illegal activity when they get older. Bullies will often have a hard time making friends and maintain friendships as the friends who support bullying are not quality relationships to be in. Bullies may never learn how to effectively problem solve if they are given other ways to respond when the bullying problem first arises.