Good Growing

Would You Know If Your Child Was Being Bullied?

Here’s a surprising fact: kids and teens who are being bullied sometimes choose not to tell their parents.

To explore this idea, let’s start by reviewing some basics of bullying.

There are all sorts of rude, mean and hurtful behaviors — but they’re not all bullying. Bullying refers to unwanted, aggressive behavior that is repeated (or has the potential to be repeated) over time. Bullying also includes an imbalance of power — the one who bullies uses some form of power to control or harm the person they are bullying.

There are four types of bullying:

• Physical bullying includes attacking (hitting, shoving, poking) or using body motions or facial expressions (clenching fists, pointing, glaring) to suggest an attack may happen.
• Verbal bullying includes threatening, taunting, teasing and name-calling.
• Social bullying includes gossip, humiliation and rumor-spreading. It often involves purposely excluding someone from a group and encouraging others to do so.
• Cyberbullying is verbal and social bullying via digital devices like phones, computers and gaming consoles. It can occur through calls, texts, emails, personal messaging, chats, games and social media.

So, why do kids who are being bullied sometimes withhold this information from their parents? Even kids who are usually open and talkative may stay silent because they’re embarrassed it’s happening to them. They may fear they’ll somehow be blamed or shamed for their role in the bullying. Or they may assume that their parents will not take any action — or overreact and embarrass them or cause the bullying to get even worse.

You can help ensure your child confides in you. Talk about bullying, even when you have no reason to suspect it’s happening. Call out bullying when watching movies or shows together. It can be a good way to start the conversation. Even when a child says everything is fine, be watchful for sudden changes in their mood or sleep habits, their school performance, or their willingness to attend school or group activities.

If your child tells you they are being bullied, praise them for being open. Reassure them that the bullying is in no way their fault. Remain calm, acknowledge what has happened, and avoid either minimizing or dramatizing the situation. Role-play scenarios so your child can practice how to safely stand up to bullying. Work with their school to create a safe action plan. Consider using a school counselor or a mental health therapist to help your child process their feelings.

Remember that kids are more likely to open up about any problem when parents listen carefully and validate their feelings — rather than lecturing or jumping in to fix the problem. Compassion, patience and wisdom will always reinforce your parent-child bond.

Read Upstanders Can Help Stop Bullying  and visit stopbullying.gov to learn more.

Prevent Flu

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. These viruses spread easily through the air and infect the nose, throat and lungs. Illness can range from mild to very serious — including death. The best way to prevent flu is to get the flu vaccine each year.

The flu vaccine is safe and effective. For both completely healthy kids and those who already have health problems, the vaccine reduces the risk of death from flu by about 80%. Last flu season, 191 pediatric flu deaths were reported in the U.S. During the 2024-2025 season, about 90% of children reported to have died from flu-related causes were not fully vaccinated against flu.

Protect your family by getting everyone ages 6 months and older vaccinated against flu. Flu season in the U.S. usually begins in December and lasts until April or May. For the best protection, get vaccinated by the end of October. If you have questions, ask your child’s doctor.

Visit Flu Basics, Prevention and Treatment to learn more.

Poison Prevention: Young Kids and Everyday Substances

Washington Poison Center (WAPC) operates a poison helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WAPC gives free, confidential treatment advice for poisonings, medication mistakes and overdoses.

In 2025, more than one-third of the calls to WAPC were about poison exposures in children ages newborn to 5. For these helpline calls, the most common substance groups were household cleaners, cosmetics and personal care products, and pain medicines like ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).

For calls regarding medicines, a common fear of parents and caregivers is that they have accidentally given too much. This serves as a reminder to keep children’s medicines in their original containers, double-check the dosing instructions, and use the measuring tool that came with the medicine.

Keep anything that could poison a child out of their sight and reach. If possible, lock up these items. In addition to the substances mentioned above, other high-risk items include: prescription and over-the-counter medicines; vitamins and supplements; tobacco, nicotine and vape products; marijuana edibles; magnets and button batteries.

If you suspect there’s been a poison exposure or a dosing mistake, contact WAPC right away; don’t wait for symptoms to develop. Add the helpline numbers to your phone now. For phone calls: 1-800-222-1222. For texting: 206-526-2121. WAPC also offers a live chat option at https://www.wapc.org/.

Learn about safe medicine storage and disposal.

Glimmers: A Way to Share the Positive

Have you heard of glimmers? They are everyday external cues that create feelings of joy and relaxation in our bodies. Glimmers can be anything we see, hear, smell, taste, touch or sense that causes us to feel safe and comfortable. Think of glimmers as powerfully positive triggers: a vivid rainbow, rain drumming on the roof, the aroma of cookies baking, the sweet zing of a crisp apple, the warmth and softness of a pet’s fur, or the stillness of a lush forest. Glimmers can calm our nervous systems and boost our mental wellbeing — and when we tune in to our senses, we notice them all around us.

Try having your family members share their favorite glimmers of the day at the dinner table or at bedtime. This ritual will help everyone discover the ‘everyday magic’ that surrounds them and notice how it affects them. Plus, sharing meaningful personal experiences helps family members feel even more connected!

Find more ways to support your child’s mental wellness on the Mental Health Resource Hub.

Make the Most of Well-Child Visits

Well-child visits or ‘checkups’ are a time for your child’s doctor to perform screenings, assess your child’s growth and development, provide vaccines and give safety information. These visits are focused on prevention.

They’re also a time for you to get your questions answered. The appointments go by fast, so prepare for them. Write down your questions on your phone or a notepad and bring them with you — and rank them in order of importance so you can ask your most pressing questions first.

Encourage your child to ask their own questions about their health. Starting this practice at a young age helps kids build confidence and take ownership of their bodies and their wellbeing.

Read Tweens, Teens and Young Adults Need Checkups Too to learn about adolescent wellness visits.

Preventing and Treating Headaches

Headaches can be common for kids and teens. Dehydration, poor nutrition, lack of quality sleep, stress and eye strain are some of the top headache triggers.

Preventing headaches can be as simple as changing behaviors. Be sure your child drinks plenty of water and limits or avoids caffeine — especially ‘energy drinks’ that contain extreme levels of caffeine and other stimulants. Support your child’s efforts to eat a well-balanced diet, prioritize sleep, get regular exercise and practice relaxation techniques. Have their vision checked if you suspect there’s an issue.

Sometimes, headaches happen even when kids practice healthy habits. For example, the menstrual cycle or illness can trigger headaches. In these cases, pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) taken in the correct dose can help.

While headaches can often be managed at home, it’s sometimes necessary to see your child’s primary care provider. This headache symptom tracker is a great tool to decide what action is needed.

Your child or teen may need professional help if their headaches continue despite addressing triggers and taking the right dose of pain relievers when their headache starts. And when headaches make it difficult to attend school or take part in normal activities, professional medical care is needed.

In these cases, your child’s doctor may recommend specialty care such as the Seattle Children’s Headache Program, where pediatric experts diagnose and treat headaches using the most up-to-date and evidence-based therapies.

Rarely, headaches can signal a serious brain problem that needs urgent evaluation. Get professional medical help right away for headaches with ‘red flag’ symptoms that:

• Repeatedly wake a child in the middle of the night or occur first thing in the morning with vomiting.
• Coincide with weakness in the arms or legs, or with facial drooping.
• Coincide with changes in walking, speech or balance.
• Are sudden and very intense.

Visit Emergency or Urgent Care to learn more.