5 Things NOT to Say to Your Child

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Raising a child is the hardest job any parent will ever have! We know they don’t come with instructions and all we can do is try our best. Sometimes our children can get on our last nerve and we speak before we think about what we are going to say to them. Sometimes these words can be very detrimental. 1. I’m Going to Leave You Here! – How many times have you heard a parent tell their child that they are going to leave without them? I hear this quite often and it makes me so mad! The world is still a big scary place to a little child and their parent, the person that is supposed to protect them, is telling them they are going to abandon them. They should make their child mind by disciplining them, not by scaring them to death! 2. I Don’t Care – Just the other day, I overheard a child about 4 or 5, trying to tell their parent something. The mom quickly retorted back that she didn’t care. You could see the expression on this little child’s face change so quickly from excited to very sad. Little children take what we say very seriously, do we really want them to think we really don’t care what they have to say? 3. Because I Said So – I know we are not supposed to allow our children to argue with us, but when a child asks why, I don’t think we should simply say, “Because I said so.” If we will simply take a minute to explain why to the child, it may not only satisfy them, but it will also be a learning experience for them. 4. Go Away! – This one breaks my heart! I know there are many times that we are very busy and our children want our attention. They want our attention because they love us. When we tell them to go away, we might as well be saying I don’t want you. Take the time to see what you child wants and then explain to them that you are very busy and need to finish what you are doing first. 5. Why Are You So Stupid? – This is another thing I hear quite often. So your child does something they shouldn’t have, they make a mistake, and you are going to tell them they are stupid? Really? If you say this enough to your child, they are going to start to believe it. What does this do for the self-confidence? You can ask them why they did what they did and then explain to them why it was not the right thing to do, but don’t tell them they are stupid! I know there are other things that should never be said to our children, very harsh things that we know we should never say. The ones I have mentioned here are common things I hear parents say to their children, without realizing the hurtful effect it can have. Be thoughtful to your children and think before you speak!