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Children are very sensitive to the things they see and hear. It is our duty as parents to ensure their well-being at all times. Most parents will do what is in the best interest of the child. Parents can often be overworked or frustrated and at times are given to yelling at their children. It is in our anger that we are most likely to call our children names.

It is okay to call your child names such as sweetie pie or baby bear. Those are loving and endearing terms. Those types of words are something that a child will carry in their hearts as warm and inviting. It is out of anger that comes the worst kind of name calling. Children carry those words with them throughout their lives as well. The memories aren't warm and inviting from them though.

There are many effects that can occur when you call a child names. Here are a few of the long-term damages that can be done:

Self-Esteem

Calling a child names is hard on their ego. Calling a child a name even one time goes with them throughout their lives. This is a scar that can lay buried deep inside of them and it hurts to the very core of their beings.

If You Say It, It Must Be True

Children believe what adults tell them. They are vulnerable in numerous ways because of that nave reaction. If you call a child a name, they will believe that you are right. This leads them to the point that they may as well be what you said they were. It can turn an otherwise good attitude into a very nasty one that affects everyone they meet.

What's Love Got To Do With It

If you say that you love your child and then call them a name, you are sending your child a mixed message. Children associate actions with words. "If my mommy loves me and they talk to me that way then that must be what love is." Your child will no longer have a sense of what the word love really means. Loving your child should never involve something that hurts them.

Copy Cat

Children follow what adults do as an example. As the adult in this situation, it is your duty to make sure your child doesn't do or say things to others that will hurt them. When you call a child names, they will follow that example and begin to repeat that action towards other people. They aren't trying to be bad, but it is what they know. Children learn what they live.

It Isn't Necessary

Calling a child names is never necessary. There are ways to speak to a child so they understand if they have done something wrong. There are also ways of handling your own stress so that it doesn't spill over to your children. Take a couple of minutes to cool down when you feel you are about to explode. Think about how you would feel if you were that child. It isn't hard to communicate with a child without being abusive. Name calling is abusive. Don't do it.

It is our responsibility to make sure our children grow up happy and healthy. Calling them names does not ensure their best interest. It breaks them down into tiny little pieces. Their hearts break at first and then they freeze over so that no one can hurt them again. There is no reason to make your child cry because you intentionally hurt them with words.

Learn more about this author, Dawn Hawkins.
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