5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say To Their Kids

It hurts me when I hear parents speaking to their kids so harshly and without thought of what those words could do to them. Words are actually much much more powerful than actions in some cases. Words can get embedded in our thoughts and hearts and play over and over in our minds. I've been thinking about bullying in school a lot lately and wonder if the bullies come from families who bully their own kids. Parents should set the bar. Parents should set the right example and discipline their children in the way they should go. The Word discipline comes from the word Disciple and it literally means to teach. Often instead of teaching, we punish. Know the difference.  The one I absolutely cannot stand is the last one and it's because I've witnessed it. A few years ago, when I went to pick up my brother from preschool, a mom was driving out of the parking lot with her 3 year old boy running behind the car screaming for her. He probably didn't want to go home and most likely she drove off after telling him "ok, then I'm going to leave without you!"

This morning, I came across this article that hit home for me. I wanted to share parts that stood out for me. For the full article, here is the link. http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/5-things-parents-shouldnt-kids-171300904.html

5 Things Parents Shouldn't Say To Their Kids.

1. "I Don't Care." 
Little kids love to share details...of their playground conversations with friends, of the cloud formation they think looks like a sea serpent, of why they squeezed an entire tube of toothpaste into the bathtub. And sometimes? Parents just don't want to hear the specifics. But beware of saying "I don't care!" because you're cutting off communication with your child and saying that something important to him or her isn't so important to you.

2. Act Your Age! 
Pincus says this common reaction is less about the child's behavior and all about the parent trying to manage his or her own frustration. 


3. Say You're Sorry!
You're trying to teach your child to be compassionate, which is a laudable goal. But "forcing a child to apologize does not teach a child social skills," says Bill Corbett, a parent educator, author, and producer/host of the parenting TV show "Creating Cooperative Kids."


4. Don't You Get It?
Implicit in a 'don't you get it' comment are the judgments of 'Why don't you get it?' followed by 'What's wrong with you for not getting it?' While a parent may not mean to send those messages, that is the message the child receives.

5. I'm Going to Leave Without You
"I'm going to leave without you!" For young kids, fear of parental abandonment is very real.

Please be careful with your words. They hurt just as bad if not more than physical pain!

  

Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. (Proverbs 18:21 MSG)

El