The following section has some suggestions that might be helpful if your child has concerns about the reactions of others.
It can be helpful for your child to learn to how to explain, reassure and distract. For example, at the park they might respond to a comment about their scars with:
This allows your child to make the first move in social situations. It can help them to feel empowered and boost their self-esteem. It also helps them to respond to curiosity when meeting new people and dealing with difficult situations. You can see more examples of responses here.
Some younger children find the magic bubble helpful with teasing or people’s stares. They use the power of their imagination to picture themselves in a very strong see-through bubble. The bubble is invisible to other people. The magic bubble can be as big as they like and any colour that they want. Whenever anybody says something to them that they do not like, it just bounces straight off the magic bubble and cannot get through to make them upset or angry.
Distraction by singing a song to themselves, practicing times tables, or making up a poem can also help.
Your child may also find it helpful if you or someone from the burns service talks to their teacher or their school.
If you have concerns or would like to know more about talking to school and how the burns service might be able to help, please ask your local burns service.
Remember, your child is not the only person who might be teased. Everyone has something that other people can tease them about. The charity Changing Faces have useful tips for dealing with the reactions of others on their website.
If you are concerned about bullying, click here. Alternatively, visit the charity website for Changing Faces.
