A parent’s or caregiver’s role in response to a bullying situation involving their child will be coloured by their relationship with their child. Frequently, children don’t tell an adult, be it their parent or caregiver, or the teacher about incidents. This can be true even in cases where the relationship is positive and supportive. (See Safe Telling.)
In some cases, the child’s relationship with their parent or caregiver is coloured by abusive dynamics or an extremely harsh or authoritarian style and bullying behaviour at home. As a result, the underlying values inherent in the relationship may reinforce or exacerbate the dynamics in the school bullying situation that the teacher and school are trying to address.