I was bullied back in middle school, by a bunch of different kids. It was mostly two different groups.

It was due to my funny accent, as we had moved abroad during my formative years, and I was speaking another language when we moved back a couple of years later.

It all ended when I beat the living crap out of one bully. He was a small guy, and I was already a head taller than most in my class. I just blacked out, and used him as a punching bag after one of his regular snide remarks.

He ended up in the hospital with both eyes glued shut, broken nose, and concussion. Teachers and parents were shocked.

But I was never bullied after that.

I don't advocate violence, but for me, that's unfortunately what worked.

(In a interesting twist of faith, years later I actually ended up becoming good friends with some of the bullies, because of shared hobbies, and them maturing)

It's hit and miss for the most part really.

I remember confronting my bully in primary school - he stopped after that.

But my friend from secondary school who one day finally snapped gained nothing from his confrontation.

And if the bully is your parents, which of these do you recommend?

Edit: sorry, that was an unnecessary response by me. Clearly you weren't thinking in those terms. Apologies.

That can work when it's a lone bully. It's a horrible idea if you're dealing with a pack. They have to retaliate to maintain their position.