WASHINGTON — The presidential campaign has been perhaps one of the nastiest in our history. Kids and adults alike have been shocked by some of the language exchanged during the race. But talking to kids about the power of disparaging language is a nuanced lesson to teach.
So said parenting blogger Leslie Morgan Steiner, who on WTOP Wednesday stressed the importance of giving children the language to use so that taking a stand doesn’t turn into an argument.
“I think we’ve got to do it, because the vast number of victims of any kind of sexual violence or harassment are under 30, and it means that our children might be victims one day,” Morgan Steiner said.
The trick is to make your point without directly engaging the offensive remark, she said.
Morgan Steiner, of ModernMom.com, said her 14-year-old daughter didn’t know what to say to a classmate who suggested a rape victim deserved what happened to her.
“I what I told my daughter to say is things like, ‘It’s never OK to blame a victim who has been attacked sexually,’ so you’re not confronting the person, who is often a classmate or colleague, but you’re disagreeing with them rather politely while still making your point,” she said.
Other great things to say are: “Think about what you just said,” and “No one wants to be talked about that way,” she suggests.
