TEACH EMPATHY TO ELIMINATE NAME-CALLING

"Nerd!"  "Sissy!" "Geek!"  "Four Eyes!"

    Kids have called each other names for centuries.  They put someone down in front of a crowd to look cool to onlookers.  Whatever the reason, name-calling is wrong.  It is also wrong for parents to think bullying and name-calling are just part of growing up.  To keep kids safe at home and school, we must try to limit their aggressive behavior.  We must foster civility and doing the right thing.

Be sure to:

• Be a good role model. Don't call people names.  Say you disapprove when you hear someone putting another down.

• Don't accept a child saying, "I was just joking." It is never a joke when someone is made to feel rejected or ridiculed.

• Voice your anger and disappointment if your child has taunted someone.  Have her apologize to her victims and perhaps others.

• Express your concern if your child has been taunted.  Help her reflect on why kids do this.  Ponder ways of coping.

• Teach that name-calling hurts everyone.  Doting it - or tolerating it - undercuts our integrity and humanity.

• Foster empathy.  Always encourage your child to think how it might feel to be in another's shoes.

Source:  Michael Riera, Ph.D. Joseph Di Prisco, Ph.D., Right from Wrong: Instilling a Sense of Integrity in Your Child, 2002