Hithere, I don't agree with your choice of words at all. 'I don't want them to hurt you' just plants that idea in their heads. They could have nightmares.
I just told my four, who rarely saw my mother, that she was 'Ill in her head' so not to take any notice when she said mean things - as she really couldn't help it.
Just once, my youngest did retaliate with 'I don't care what you say. I'm young and beautiful - and you're old and ugly!'
Well, well. Is it ‘global warming’ or ‘cloud seeding’?