What do you believe one of the hardest things is about being a parent? Well one of these things would be how to talk to your kid. Its very easy to end up saying the wrong thing and then have your kid get the wrong impression from it. You might not even know when you say something that sends the wrong message, but not to worry. In this article we’ve listed a few of the things you should never say to a child. Read these and be sure to tell them to anyone you might put in charge to watch your kids so that they know not to say them either.
“Try to set a better example for your brother/sister”
When you make this statement to a child your sending them the message that they aren’t doing some type of job their supposed to be doing. Its a way of showing them that their other sibling is somehow not as responsible for their actions as the other sibling might be. It puts a lot of pressure on a kid and they might begin to feel resentful as a result.
“I can’t wait for your father/mother to walk in that door”
This is something that we used to hear when we were kids and there was always the impression something bad was going to happen. The purpose of this was to put fear in us and in many cases it worked. Parents who use the other parent as a weapon to control their kids will always end up being resented in the end. Avoid doing this at all costs.
“I’m so ashamed of you right now”
You might think kids don’t know what this means, but a lot of them do. It means that your somehow embarrassed by them or even ashamed to call them your kids. It sends the message that you don’t like them and don’t want to deal with them at the moment. Kids will lash out in different ways when they feel unwanted and unloved. Of all the things you should never say to a child this would be one of the main ones.
“Let me do it, because you won’t get it right”
When you say this to a child you send them the message that they can’t do certain things on their own. When you say this repeatedly a kid might begin to believe there’s something wrong with them and before you know it they’ll stop striving for anything. It really hurts their self esteem long term. Add to this what they might face at school and you have a real problem on your hands.
“I’m really disappointed in you at the moment”
This message says to a kid that they’ve let you down. It sends them the message that they’ve lost some level of love you had for them that they can’t get back. You might mean this in a good way or as a way to instill discipline, but you have to really think about what your saying here.
