After only a week or two of play your child is being bullied by their Coach in front of the rest of the team, and now your kid's teammates are picking on him or her. Do you speak with the Coach about the behavior? Do you talk with the other parents?

You could step in and confront the bullies - and it might even limit or eliminate the bullying - but you might be doing more harm than good. Bullying is something that needs to be addressed, but it is ultimately up to the victim to learn how to cope with the it, because bullying is something that everyone has to deal with throughout their lives. Sometimes we forget how humiliating it is to have someone step in for us; it makes the victim appear weaker. Think back to grade school and remember who got it worse: The bully or the tattler?

Coping means helping the victim stand up for themselves, to confront the bullies themselves, to defuse the situation using humor or logic, to ignore the bullying (if that tactic works), or to fight back if necessary. The tough part is knowing when you should step in and when to let them get a bloody nose.

Being a parent is very, very hard like that.