Sticks and Stones: help your daughter deal with teasing and bullying

During adolescence, girls are hypersensitive about their appearance and body changes during puberty, and may be more susceptible to teasing and bullying. Help your daughter feel confident about her changing body – and be more sensitive to the feelings of others – with the Sticks and Stones video and action checklist.

We know that growing up can be tough, and that young people can feel hurt and upset by others' comments. That's why we developed Sticks and Stones, to help girls understand that what people say isn’t always what they mean, and to make them more aware of how others may be feeling.

Confronting body image issues

When your daughter’s body starts to develop into that of a young woman, it’s not only physical changes she has to deal with, but emotional ones too. Because every girl’s body develops at a different rate, most worry they’re either developing too fast or too slowly, making them incredibly self-conscious.

It’s natural for adolescent girls to compare themselves to their peers, which is why they may be more sensitive to comments made by others. It’s also easy for girls to slip into teasing, which can come across as mean or nasty, sometimes without even realising they’re doing it. In many cases, it's a way of covering up how they’re feeling themselves.

What people say isn’t always what they mean

None of us can read minds. Without knowing what’s going on in someone else’s head, we might make a silly joke or careless comment about the way they look that really hurts them. We might be teasing or even bullying them without knowing it. This video shows how easy it is to say the wrong thing.

By sharing the Sticks and Stones video and discussing it with your daughter, you'll help her understand the impact of her comments – and the comments of others – on her peer’s body confidence and self-esteem. You'll also make her better equipped to handle situations that could knock her own confidence.