Dealing with school bullies: Tips for parents

VALENCIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Starting a new school year can be an exciting time for students, but some kids dread facing school bullies.

Brylee Breech is excited about starting fourth grade this fall. However, Brylee's mom, Melissa Breech, said back-to-school time wasn't always a cause for excitement.

"It was bad to where nighttime, 'Go brush your teeth' became a crying fest because she knew that meant she was going to school tomorrow," Breech said.

Brylee was a victim of school bullying.

"I think I fell down or something, and the person was like, 'Oh, and look who's going to be go crying to your daddy now,'" Brylee said.

Pediatric psychologist Stephanie Marcy said that kids do not often tell their parents if they're being bullied.

"Going back to school can actually be really scary because they've had this nice respite from some of the social pressures at school," Marcy said.

She advises that parents should look for behavior changes and have an open dialogue with their children during a relaxed time, like before bedtime.

"'Tell me something good that happened today, or tell me something bad,' or something like that just to kind of get their children talking in a setting where they don't feel so much pressure," Marcy said.

Talking helped Brylee learn how to cope.

"When they act like that, I just really have to try to just let it go," Brylee said.

Brylee also worked on some strategies to catch the bullies by surprise.

"They would say, 'Talk to the hand because this (motioning to face) don't understand,'" Brylee said.

Before starting school, Brylee has one more tip for fellow students.

"Be yourself, and that's all you can do," Brylee said.