I have witnessed parents and teachers ridicule children for their failures, and poke fun at their shortcomings. All of us may be guilty of disrespecting our children's rights sometimes when we are tired, frustrated, or angry. It must be the exception, not the rule. When we do treat our children in a disrespectful way, the most empowering thing we can do for ourselves and our children is to admit we made a mistake. When we admit our errors to our children, we teach them that it is OK to make mistakes.
Mistakes are for learning.
We are modeling a willingness to be honest, to own our behavior and to learn from it. This is a powerful example to set for our children. It is the same behavior we want from them when they make a mistake. Throw out patterns of thinking that accept or excuse bullying. We have reached a point in our society where it can no longer be acceptable to sit back and watch children engage in name-calling, taunting, pushing and grabbing, as if resigned to its inevitability.