Toxic expressions to avoid with your child
Toxic phrases parents should avoid saying to kids (Photo: Freepik)
Parents often find it challenging to control their emotions when a child misbehaves, and in a moment of anger, they may say unnecessary things. Even worse, some toxic phrases are repeated regularly by adults. A child's psyche is very vulnerable, so they can easily be traumatized.
Here's what phrases not to say to children, according to the Kyiv Dvoryk Center for Psychology and Development.
"You can do better"
"Imagine that you are trying very hard to achieve a result, and then an important person tells you that it's not enough and you don't deserve praise. Such words hurt deeply at any age because we always do the best we can at a given moment," psychologists say.
"There's nothing of yours here"
"This phrase suggests to the child that neither their boundaries nor their feelings matter to you, and there's no safe place for them at home. Everything that is dear to the child, parents can take away without explaining the reasons," experts say.
"Go away, I'll do it better myself"
"One of the main functions of parents is to teach a child self-care in daily life. Parenting partly consists of interaction at home and taking care of them," psychologists note.
They add that preparing lunch or repairing furniture with the participation of a child takes much more time. By refusing help, parents not only deprive the child of important experiences and new skills but also negatively impact their self-esteem.
"If you behave like this, I will send you to orphanage"
The undisputed leader among taboo phrases is the threat of getting rid of the child if they do not behave as parents would like.
"This phrase can literally be translated as: 'I love you only when you meet my demands and expectations. If you don't do this, I will abandon you,'" psychologists explain.
Earlier, we wrote about 5 reasons why people can't break out of a string of life failures.
