Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Teaching Kids to Hate

I rather dislike the word hate. Yes, I use it but not usually in reference to another person. 


I got into a debate yesterday about whether or not kids are taught to to hate or if its just in built in them. I believe that in most cases it is taught to them by their parents. The debate stemmed from a person claiming that those who choose to raise their kids in less than ideal circumstances are asking for their kids to be bullied by other kids. It was mostly in reference to kids who have same-sex parents. 


I really do believe that this particular brand of hate and bullying does come from the parents at home before the kids even reach school age. Kids generally don't care about how many Mummy or Daddy's another kid had, they tend to like or dislike the other kids based on their own personal likes and dislikes. From what I've seen that usually involves TV shows or certain Barbie dolls.


There will always be bullys at schools. They bullys will always pick on someone, and yes in some cases it will be about sexual orientation of another kids parents. But where does he bully learn this hate and dislike?? At five all Jasmine knows is that babys grow in Mummy's tummy and are then born. In order for her to pick on another kids who may have, lets say two mums, I and/or Rodger would have to teach her that all kids should only have one Mum and one Dad. Then we would have to teach her that anything else is wrong. Which, for clarification neither of us do think that at all. 


As she gets to primary school next year she may learn these things from older kids at school. However, who would be encouraging this thinking? I know the school won't be as they have a very strict anti-bullying policy. It would again fall to us, the parents to reinforce this thinking. Or we could teach her that all families are different, some have two mums or two dads or whatever. 


The sexual orientation of a person should have no bearing on how well they parent or how much they love their kids. 


The best thing we can do as parents in order to stop bullying happening is to teach our kids to accept everyone for who they are regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, eye colour, hair colour, size ect and to teach them that bullying is wrong.

Search Box