Mom’s viral TikTok lesson on bullying shows the power of words

Bullying is, unfortunately, a common childhood trauma that many children endure at some point during their school years. It’s never too early to talk to your children about bullying and the power of words, especially those that cause harm—because the impact of that harm caused by childhood bullying can last a lifetime.

The mom, who goes by _iamdiosa_ on TikTok, begins her lesson by asking her children, Alayna and Neelia, to say hurtful things to the piece of paper she’s holding.

It’s an age-appropriate, visual lesson that her kids likely won’t forget anytime soon, and it’s a must-watch for all parents with school-age kids.

The kids begin to say things like “You’re ugly” and “You don’t have friends” as mom crumples up the paper with each hurtful saying.

Her daughters continue saying things like “You’re fat” and even “You smell like dog food” as their mom keeps wrinkling up the piece of paper until it’s wadded up and looks completely different from how it began.

Once the paper is crumpled too tightly to go any further, the mom asks her kids to apologize to the paper. While we know the value of apology can’t be dismissed, it’s important to show kids that while they may regret their words or actions—an apology doesn’t erase the harm caused.

After the girls said their sorries, the mom asked: “Is it fixed?” Both of them say “no.”

“This is why you don’t bully,” the mom says. “Understood?”

It’s a simple message, but a powerful one. The video quickly went viral, resonating with fellow parents and grown-ups who were bullied as children.

“This is amazing. You’re a great mum,” one comment reads.

“I love the way this is demonstrated for kids,” another says.

According to StopBullying.gov, children who are bullied can be impacted physically, socially, emotionally, academically, and mentally from bullying. Kids who are bullied are also more likely to experience depression, anxiety, an increase in health complaints, and a decrease in academic achievement.

Having an engaged, supportive parent at home who teaches the harm caused by bullying is one amazing way to prevent it from happening outside the home. It’s not easy to think about our children as bullies or as the one who’s on the receiving end of such cruelty. Let this mama’s lesson be a lesson for us all!