Des Moines Mom is committed to creating a safe space for ongoing conversations about mental health.
Kids are heading back to school and they may encounter bullying among their peers. As parents it can be hard to know how to help our kids when they face challenging situations. Janelle Ballhagen is the program coordinator for the Greater Des Moines Child Assault Prevention Program with Blank Children’s Hospital.
Questions to ask your kids as they are starting school
- Who are your friends this year?
- What do you think about school this year?
- Are there kids in your class who it is hard to get along with?
Pay attention their answers. Have regular conversations with your child to check in on how things are going and to be able to notice if relationships change as the year progresses.
Types of behavior that may indicate your child has experienced bullying
- If you notice your child seems withdrawn or unhappy
- If your child is no longer engaging with friends like they used to
- If they seem sad or unhappy when they come home from school or time with friends.
Have open-ended, gentle, but direct conversations. Tell them you notice a change and you wonder what’s going on.
If they don’t open up, let your child know that if they aren’t comfortable talking to you, there are other trusted adults who care about them and will listen. Share names of other adults who they can talk to. Remind them that you love them, support them, and are available to talk. You can also ask more general questions about how things are going at school or with their friends.
Understanding different types of assault
There are 3 types of assault that we teach about Greater Des Moines Child Assault Prevention Program:
- Assault from a peer
- Assault from a stranger
- Assault from an adult you know
Watch more of our conversation with Janelle Ballhagen about Bullying Prevention.
Bullying Prevention Resources
Greater Des Moines Child Assault Prevention Program
See more of our conversations about Mental Health.
Thank you for making time to help normalize the conversation about mental health. In this ongoing series, we talk about mental health for ourselves, our kids, our spouses, and our families.
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Janelle Ballhagen, BSW, started her career as the adolescent social worker at Allen Women’s Health in Waterloo, Iowa. This included both clinical and non-clinical work, focusing primarily on meeting the unique needs of teens. After 29 years of working in adolescent health, she transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital in 2021 to coordinate the Greater Des Moines Child Assault Prevention program, and to be closer to her grandchildren.
