One of the single most heartbreaking experiences for a parent is to learn your child is being bullied. All at once you feel anger, righteous indignation and a profound feeling of helplessness. You can't always be there for your child, but what can you do when you learn the worst is happening while your child is away from home?

Stop. Wait

Instead of being consumed by the negative emotions that come with this painful experience, pause and focus on the way you can help your child through their problems. As a parent you need to know how you can help and what you can do to prevent bullying from ever happening again.

Learn the signs of bullying

Some of the most commons signs of bullying include:

• Unexplained loss of clothing or money

• Fear of going to school

• Difficulty sleeping

• Drastic changes in eating habits

• Unexplained physical injuries

Look for patterns of behavioral change and not just isolated incidents.

Communicate openly and frequently with your child

It is unlikely your child will tell you about his bully problems if he doesn't usually speak honestly with you. Focus on being a positive support for your children every day and let them know they can speak with you about anything. The promise and feeling of constant, unconditional love is something every child should feel from their parents.

Listen to your child

As you talk with your child, be sure to give her time to formulate her own thoughts. Your impulse will be to give advice and ask a barrage of questions, but you need to allow your child to voice her thoughts on her own to find out what she is really going through.

The Child Development Institute teaches parents that "open and comfortable communication with your kids develops confidence, self-esteem, good relationships with others, cooperation and warm relationships with you."

Reach out for help

If the bullying is taking place at school, there are adults at school who can help your child. Find an adult your child trusts, like a teacher or administrator, and make a plan with them to help your child.

Educate and empower your child

It is important that you and your child share an understanding of what is and isn't bullying. StopBullying.gov defines bullying as "unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time." This includes cyberbullying, which may require you to educate yourself about the ways your child can be bullied online. Teach what to look out for so he or she knows what to tell you about.

Share with your child the stories of Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, President Barack Obama and others who overcame bullying and lived extraordinary lives. Help your child develop new friendships outside of school to widen their supportive influences.

Teach your child how to respond

When someone speaks up to a bully, the bully is less likely to continue. When victims of bullying refrain from lashing out or crying in front of the bully, the bullying is less likely to continue. If you can teach your child to walk away from bullying and report it to a trusted adult, you are giving him the best possible way out of future bullying problems.

Get help

Depending on the circumstance, you and your child may require professional help. You may require legal protection. Children affected by bullying may need some psychiatric treatment to restore their confidence.

Support and love your child

Above all else, let your child know that you love them. Let them know that no matter what happens you will always love them. They need your support now more than ever.

Children who are perceived as "different" are often the ones who are bullied. But, as Alan Turing reminds us, it's sometimes the ones who no one imagines anything of that do the things no one can imagine.

The Imitation game tells the remarkable story of Alan Turing who, despite being bullied as a child for being different, overcame his nemeses to save countless lives and end a war. Historians estimate Alan Turing shortened World War II by two years and saved more than 14 million lives. Click here for tickets and show times.

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10. You will learn to appreciate the little things

Things you spent your whole life not noticing or appreciating suddenly become so much more valuable like a jacket with lots of pockets, strollers with cupholders, diaper changing stations in public restrooms, spacious and sensible cars, reliable dishwashers or sales at your grocery store will make you genuinely happy.

9. Bodily fluids will become part of everyday vocabulary and life

It starts predictably with changing diapers, but soon you discover the incredible amount of spit up your child can unleash or how far they can launch projectile poop. Soon enough you are dealing with bedwetting, vomiting in the car, and so much more. Before you know it, those words will slip casually off your tongue and easily become part of everyday conversation. ProTip: buy sanitizer in bulk.

8. Crying will happen - a lot

As your children get older, you will realize a crying or frustrated child isn't a sign of failure as a parent but merely a child learning how to communicate and interact with the world. Repeat after me: "I. Can. Do. This." You will both make it! You will be there for them when they really need it and you will get better and better at realizing when that should happen.

7. You will forget nearly everything you learned in school

It will be difficult to help your kids with homework as they get older. It is a right of passage for parents to realize how little they remember from their high school math classes. This can be a huge pain for parents. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources—including apps—that make math and homework easy and fun.

6. Your TV and movie viewing habits will change completely

Before long, you will find yourself seasons behind on the cool new TV show everyone is talking about or deciding to skip the movie about a tragic kidnapping. You will see your Netflix queue slowly taken over with children's programming, and you will become a world-class Disney scholar thanks to endless repeat viewings.

5. Your definition of "clean" will become much more flexible

Skip the feelings of guilt and lean into your lifestyle as a parent. Prioritize your time and do what is most important. You will soon see having a spotless home become less critical.

4. Simple outings will become a thing of the past

Nothing is simple anymore. You will find out soon enough how much of an expedition it is to go anywhere with children. As a result you will become much more efficient at planning your day while also finding new joy in a simple day at home.

3. Your greatest joy will come watching your children make new milestones and achievements.

It can be bittersweet realizing how quickly your children grow up, but you will be surprised at how much you'll enjoy seeing them reach their goals and try new things.

2. You will become your parents

Somewhere deep in the corners of your mind are buried what your mother would yell when the family was late or your father's lecture about the importance of eating vegetables. Warning: when you least expect it, you will hear those same "lessons" coming from your own mouth.

1. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much love you will feel for your child

There will be days when your patience is gone, you will be sleep deprived and will not know what to do. But beneath it all, you will always love your children. Hold on to the feelings of deep love you have for your children. It is unlike anything you have never experienced before.

Parenting has many unexpected ups and downs, but through it all, you will find a world of incredible joy.

Primal Math is here to alleviate some of the stress of parenting by providing a simple solution to helping children develop their natural abilities to do math. To make math easy and much more fun, check out the new Zombie Fish Bits app for kids.

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