Reassure your child that whatever the situation, you are there for her/him, says rediffGURU Anu Krishna, while counselling concerned parents whose children are studying in colleges away from their home town.
- Worried about your child's safety? Post your questions to rediffGURU Anu Krishna HERE.
Recently, two tragic student deaths -- at KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and at the Government Nursing College in Kottayam, Kerala -- have sent shockwaves across the nation.
The details of these incidents are horrifying.
The dark reality of students dealing with bullying and ragging in campuses -- even coping, at times, with mental health issues -- are increasingly worrying their parents and loved ones.
How does one identify signs of ragging and bullying in teenagers who live in cities and hostels far away from home?
What can parents do to protect their children from the potential dangers of campus bullying?
rediffGURU Anu Krishna, a mind/life coach and NLP trainer with over 18 years of experience in helping people understand and solve their problems, is the co-founder of Unfear Changemakers.
She offers expert advice about how you can take charge of your life and relationships.
- You can post your questions to rediffGURU Anu Krishna HERE.
Anonymous: As a concerned parent, I am deeply troubled by the recent tragic incident involving a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).
Given the reports of unrest and safety concerns, what can we as parents do to ensure the well-being of our children who study in other states?
How can parents be assured that such incidents will be prevented in the future?
It has been a very disturbing incident indeed and, as parents, it can set off a string of thoughts about children's safety.
As parents, what can be done is:
1. Reassure your child that whatever the situation, you are there for them. Just knowing this can ease their mind in terms of having an open channel of communication with you.
2. Also, keeping in touch with them not just out of worry BUT to genuinely inspire them can keep them in a motivated space.
3. A schedule of visits from both sides will ensure that they are always connected with the family.
4. Encouraging them to pursue cultural events/sports will give them a chance of being in larger groups so they never feel lonely or can't be singled out.
5. If your child is someone who is quieter and prefers to be by themselves most times, have regular conversations with them.
There's only so much that you can do as a parent but I firmly believe and have seen in my experiences while working with youngsters: The ones who have strong family support usually seem to most likely struggle less through these unknown challenges.
And one more thing -- tell them as often as you can: You are loved!
Anonymous: The KIIT student suicide case is very unfortunate.
Recently, in Kerala, a boy was ragged to death. These incidents are very scary.
My daughter is a second year engineering student and she has often complained that it is common for senior students to rag or bully juniors and freshers to do uncomfortable things.
When I told my daughter I could intervene she said it wasn't necessary as it would affect the arrangement at her hostel.
I don't understand how we can help as parents. We live in Pune; my daughter studies in Bengaluru.
What happened at KIIT is really sad. Obviously, it should have never happened in the first place.
Bullying and ragging is a punishable offense but who ever thought of an offense before committing one?
In my opinion, stay close in terms of emotional support to your daughter.
Let her know that she can come to you when things get rough. Also, if there's a counselling cell at your daughter's institute, it may be good for you to understand how it works so that there is a place that can become her Go To in case the need arises.
If your daughter says that intervention is not required at this point, then take her word for it.
Be in constant touch with her so that there's always a comfort feel that she has with you.
- Is your child being bullied at school or college? Seek expert advice from rediffGURU Anu Krishna HERE.
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