|
Labeling
Giving a child a negative label is harmful. Sometimes it is done as an overt verbal expression.
- "You dummy."
- "What's wrong with you? Didn't you hear what I said?"
It can be disguised as humor, such as when a parent holds a 2 or 3 year old child upside down and the child says, "put me down; put me down," the parent replies
- "You're short."
- "You're funny-looking."
Sometimes parents use a very subtle but insidious form of scapegoating--blaming the child.
- "Look what you made me do!"
- "If you don't stop doing that, I'm gonna get angry."
Sometimes parents have children's behavioral problems diagnosed as part of a psychological condition. Even with such labels, sometimes parents continue harmful patterns.
- Labeling a child as having a diagnosed condition does not mean you can abuse the child --verbally, emotionally, psychologically, or physically.
- Labeling a child as having a diagnosed condition does not mean you didn't contribute in some way to its cause.
This site is designed to help individuals and groups develop and use communicative options to reduce subtle forms of abuse. It is not about blame or punishment.
|
