It's also completely natural to repeat things you heard in your own childhood, without realising the harm.
So, to help you out, here are 3 things you should never say to your kids.
3 things you should never say to your kids
- You make me sad when you do that: We all know it can be frustrating when our kids doesn’t listen, but it is important to set and hold boundaries without throwing your emotions into the mix. Those feelings are yours, not theirs, and you’re setting a precedent by potentially giving them a lot of negative power.
- You should know better: When you say something like “you should know better”, what you’re ultimately trying to do is guilt or shame your child into changing. That puts kids on the defensive, which makes them even less likely to listen. It also undermines their confidence.
- Just let me do it: When you’re rushing out the door or waiting for your child to complete a simple task that is seemingly taking forever, your instinct might be to just take over. But that's showing your child they're not capable and that will make them reluctant to be independent and try things for themselves.
