Tips for Teaching Your Child Not to Hate

First...make sure you, yourself, do not hate. If you find yourself disliking someone, find something good about that person to like. Never let the child know you do not care for a person or people.

Second...talk to your child at an early age about hate. Tell them that it is wrong for them to hate someone because of their color, religion, handicaps, or other things. Let them know if they find themselves hating someone find one good thing about that person and focus on that. In doing this, it can lead to other positive things about the person.

Third...do not use the word hate at all in your house. If you dislike a television show, a book, or other object say that you "dislike" them. Make sure you explain to your child it is alright to dislike things since they do not have feelings.

Fourth...if you do dislike someone and you have tried everything to like them, then simply do not go around them (on purpose). Do not talk about them to anyone. Just simply try not to bring them up in a conversation. This way if you are not saying anything then you are not saying you hate someone. If your child asks you about them or why you do not talk to that person anymore, tell them that person and you just do not get along well and do not talk anymore. If the child asks you if you hate them, tell them to remember to never use the word hate; and it is wrong to hate someone.

Fifth...if your child says they do hate someone, make sure to talk to them about it. Do not ask your child why they hate the other person, ask them why the think they dislike the other person. Once they tell you then have them tell you exactly why they dislike this quality about that person. If they cannot give you an exact answer, ask them to give you something positive about that person. If they can do this, then you should ask them again why they think they dislike the person. Remind them that they could not give you are specific reason why they feel they dislike them, but they were able to give you a positive answer about the person.

Sixth...teach your child the value of a human life. That is right. If you teach them that every human being is special in his or her own way, it is harder for your child to actually feel hate toward someone. Make sure they know that every person has feelings, and those feelings can get hurt when someone tells them they hate them. Ask them how it would feel or did feel if or when someone tells/told your child they hated them. Specifically state "It did not feel good did it?", if someone has said that to them. If someone has never told your child they hate them ask them "How would you feel if your friend came up to you and told you he hated you?" Tell them that is the way the other person would feel if they were told they were hated.

In conclusion, it is a parent's responsibility to teach their children right from wrong. That includes teaching them that hating is wrong.

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Trying to teach a five year old not to hate anyone