Indonesia
Don’t Give Love a Bad Name, Mom
Andre has a bright and happy six-year-old daughter Nina. As they walked home from school, she ran ahead with her eyes shut just to see what would happen. Well, she fell down on a dung. After brushing dunk off her trousers, Andre gave her a kiss and said, “God, you can be a little stinker sometimes.”
It is a real question from real Superarent; name-calling. When it comes to name-calling, we may get a warning. It is one of the most damaging types of bullying. It labels another person or attempts to define who they are. When we call our kids ‘Fat’, ‘Nerd’, ‘King of Bedwetting’ or any other derogatory name, it chips away at the kid’s self-esteem, sense of self-worth and self-concept.
Name-calling erodes a kid’s sense of self. It causes kids to compromise beliefs and values. It affects sense of well being. It impacts a kid’s identity. It opens the door to violence. It encourages internal criticism. It impacts kid’s mood. It affects mental and physical health. And many others.
So, Superarents, when we call your kid with bad name-calling, it means we will hurt their feeling in a long time. However, we can lower the worse potential. We may use name-calling with love and soft tone. We can change the negative impact into positive impact. With soft tone and loving attitude, name-calling can be a part of getting kids to think for themselves about what is appropriate behaviour. It can tell them, in loving way, that they’re being silly. Just hope they can change themselves to be smart.
So, be wise with name-calling.
TEGUH WAHYU UTOMO
PHOTOS: PHOTOS
