Mike Lauterborn, a single father of teen-aged boys, says: “I remind my boys that they are fortunate to have each other. If they continue to bicker or name-call, I take away privileges.” says
Our personal experiences and cultural backgrounds impact our parenting styles. For some parents, they may want to carry-on what their own parents modeled when they were children. Yet others may choose to diffuse name-calling in an entirely different manner.
“I hated hearing my mother yell at me over something that I hadn’t even started! It was my sister who acted awful, but I had to get punished on account of her behavior,” says Sara Perez, a Milford, Connecticut mom. “As a mother of two girls, I choose to have my kids reflect on the harmful word used. We actually sit down and share why a certain name or action hurt. We forgive and move on, and try to be the better for it.”
