It’s about this time in life, Kieran, that you may run into the
problem of name-calling. This is when someone calls you a name that is hurtful
or perhaps you call someone a name that makes him or her feel bad. They might call
you a “slowpoke” or a made-up word like a “dweeb”. Or you might hear other
children telling a classmate that she’s “fat” or “stupid.”
People call each other names because they are hurting
inside. They don’t feel good about themselves, and the only way they can feel “better”
is by make others feel bad.
And while they may feel better for a little while, they are
not a “better” person. No one who hurts another person is a “good” person.
I don’t believe you’re the kind of boy who would call other
kids names, for I always taught you as a child to respect others’ differences.
Still, sometimes as young people, we get caught up in what our friends are
doing and so we fall into a bad habit of calling others names. Sometimes, we
see important adults around us calling others names and so we think it’s all
right.
It’s never all right to call another person a name. If we
have done so, we should tell them we’re sorry and promise not to do it again.
Then we should keep that promise. And if we hear others calling people names,
we should find a way to get them to stop; at the very least, we should not
participate.
If you are ever called a name, do not let it bother you
(though I know it does hurt!). When others call people names, they really show
how immature and mean they are. Their words only can hurt you if you let them
hurt you – and it’s only in your own mind that you think their words are of any
value.
OK, enough of my lecture. Go have some fun!
