Anti-Bullying Resources

• Be careful of others’ feelings.
• Use humor gently and carefully.
• Ask whether teasing about a certain topic hurts someone’s feelings.
• Accept teasing from others if you tease.
• Tell others if teasing about a certain topic hurts your feelings.
• Know the difference between friendly, gentle teasing and hurtful ridicule or harassment.
• Try to read others’ ”body language” to see if their feelings are hurt- even when they don’t tell you.

• Tease someone you don’t know well.
• Tease about a person’s body.
• Tease about a person’s family members.
• Tease about a topic when someone asks you not to.
• Tease someone who seems agitated or who you know is having a bad day.
• Be thin –skinned about teasing that is meant in a friendly way.
• Swallow your feelings about teasing. Tell someone in a direct and clear way what is bothering you.

For many families and friends, teasing and kidding around is a way of showing affection and creating a feeling of playful camaraderie with one another. Both the teaser and the person being teased can easily swap roles, there is no imbalance of power, and the basic dignity of everyone involved is maintained. Equally important, if the teaser sees that the person being teased is obviously upset or objects to the teasing, the harmless teaser stops immediately.