But, what if?

Troubleshooting:

What if the child persists that she hates her brother?

"I can hear how angry you are at your brother."
"Something he did really made you mad!"
"You want to tell me about it?"

What if other people make crude remarks about your children, enough to make them hate each other?

"N is the prettiest of all your kids." This actually was said by someone. My gut reaction was to wince, because S was there.

How do you protect your children from other people's slip of the tongue?

Well, what is suggested is to say to the child, or in this case, S,

"I'm sure it hurts to hear that. Next time someone says things like that, give me a signal. Then you'll know that I know how it sucks. It'll be our own little secret."


How do you make your child see things from another person's point of view?

"How would you feel if people use your bike without asking you first?" would be a no no. Instead,
"I'm sure you would know how it feels when people tinker with your stuff without asking you first."

The child would answer to himself without having to discuss it and that would be enough.