Do not say this to your teengers (1)
By aso123
@aso123 (27)
Nigeria
May 4, 2007 1:31am CST
"When I was your age..."
This statement summarily meas: NO room forcommunication and negotiation. other interpretations are:
1. you expect your teen to pass through the same hardship you underwent.
2. you oversimplify the problem
3. you are not ready to listen.
4. you can't comprehend the current problems that confront your teens.
5. I has it much tougher when I was yor age hence, the problems are not important to you.
4 responses
@shorty08322 (1270)
• United States
30 May 07
yea i say that a lot i do not that is someone grandmom would say
@iszo07 (472)
• Malaysia
4 May 07
Yes, you are absolutely right. The time we lived before will never be the same as nowadays. So it's not fair to compare the olden days with current one.
Thank you. It's a good insight. I will try to remember not to use those statements to my kids. :)
@joycer (498)
• Sri Lanka
4 May 07
Yes, I agree with that. I believe that it is much better to talk to your child in a positive way. It could be more on telling him your experinces but not judging his. Those are really harsh words. There are more better words to say that your child might listen to every word that you say, and not just pretend to be listening because you might have repeatedly telling him the exact words. And those are not very encouraging. It is also better if parents will listen to their children and emphatize with them. You also do not compare yourself to your child, because you are two different people with different views in life. And what you should do is to give them guidelines and do not tell them what exactly is needed to do.
