^Bullying comes in many forms.
In boys, it is often hitting, punching, kicking. Bully
stereotype.
In girls, bullying has a 'cute name' - mean girls: gossiping,
group exclusion, and rumor spreading.
One common way it is expressed from 3 years old (!) and up is,
"You can only be my friend if..." I'm sure you remember friends
like this. You may have even done it yourself.
Researcher call it "relational aggression": which includes any
behavior that intentionally harms another person's self-esteem,
friendships, or social status.
An excellent article a friend whose daughter is learning
self-esteem and coping skills while going through some mean girl
bullying, just sent me is here:
http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/bullies-in-disguise/
I am learning about this because it is a side of bullying that I
never really understood and I am trying to understand, never
living in a girl's world - it is foreign to me.^
