By Brenda Dyer, Community Concepts

Some children tend to be very critical of the performances of their peers. They may make comments like, "You are a lousy teammate" or "My 1-year-old baby sister could do better than that." This can lead to ill feelings and the loss of friends for your child.

Good Parenting Action Points:

1) Explain to your child that these types of comments hurt other people's feelings.

2) Teach him or her that being a good friend means being supportive of one another and being there for one another, not criticizing one another. Suggest that your child say to the friend, "I feel like you don't care about your team when you don't try at baseball; " rather than verbally attacking the person "you are a lousy teammate."

3) Most importantly, observe your own behavior as a parent. Are you critical of your children or your spouse? Actions speak louder than words.

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