Assume adults expect them to deal with it. Despite all the progress with bullying prevention, there still is the underlying message that kids need to be tough during difficult situations. They fear that the adults in their lives will think poorly of them or be angry about the abuse they are experiencing. Additionally, many schools fail to distinguish the difference between tattling and reporting. Instead, because they are busy trying to meet academic goals, they would prefer not to be bothered by bullying and encourage kids to handle all problems on their own. This can be especially troublesome if kids try to deal with potentially violent situations on their own.