119: When Your Child is The Bully: This Parent Was in Shock.

This one’s an eye-opener. An 11-year-old boy is suspended from school for bullying. His parent is devastated, confused, and in shock.

They turned to my parenting community online for help and ask a question so many parents would ask in that moment: “Besides taking away electronics, what else can I do?” What followed was a flood of responses.

Some were deeply supportive, insightful, and grounded in emotional intelligence. Others were confronting, punitive, and honestly… alarming.

So today in this episode I unpack that post from my Facebook community, Let’s Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids, and the huge range of responses it received.

I talk about: Why punishment feels like the obvious answer, but often misses the mark What bullying behaviour is really telling us about a child How shame-based consequences ALWAYS backfire The big (and hugely important) difference between accountability and punishment What emotionally intelligent parents focus on instead How to support a child who has caused harm without excusing the behaviour

This is not about “letting kids off the hook.” And it’s definitely not about ignoring the impact on the other child.

It’s about teaching responsibility, empathy, and change in a way that actually sticks.

If you’ve ever thought, “What if this was my child?” or “How would I even handle that?” This episode is for you. Enjoy.

🎁 Want to get my book From Chaos To Connection FOR FREE? This month you can get it at no cost when you get my How to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids online course, which is also 50% off!! The only place to access it is here and use code 2026JANSALE.

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🩷 Hi! I’m an award-winning Emotional Intelligence parenting consultant, best-selling author and international speaker. I’m also a paediatric anxiety therapist and I love helping kids, parents and educators use emotional intelligence to become calmer, more connected and live happier lives!

Book a FREE 30 min consult with me to discuss coaching, support, collaborations or speaking engagements. E: [email protected] W: www.stephaniepinto.com FB: fb.com/stephpinto IG @emotionally.intelligent.parent

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