Children do not come with a manual, so there's no knowing whether you're doing the right thing. However, there are some clear ones that most agree are a sign of terrible parenting. A community on an internet platform listed some of them.
1. Using Children for Content Creation
Children are not in a position to choose whether they want to appear on the internet or not. A contributor says it's inappropriate to record your children when they're having emotionally vulnerable moments.
The right thing to do is put your phone down and comfort them.
2. You're a Hater
Are you the person who constantly points out your child's negative traits? You're your child's hater. Someone recounts how the mother of the girl who lived across their street when they were growing up picked up on her negative traits. She had other amazing qualities, and hearing her mother down-talk her was deflating.
The girl turned out well and has a daughter of her own. She never wants her to visit her grandmother.
3. Trashing Your Child's Interests
How would you describe your musical taste? An individual indicates that their mother asked about their music taste, and she thinks it's garbage. She also belittled their other interests whenever they had bad grades and said they had more important things to worry about. Whenever she wanted to dismiss them, she'd say, “Hey, can't you just play a video game or knit or something? Just go downstairs.”
4. They Never Make a Mistake
Have you ever admitted to your child that you were wrong? A forum member notes that refusing to accept you are wrong models emotional immaturity and builds resentment. Your child may fall prey to horrible relationship dynamics in the future.
5. You Only Feed Them Fast Food
Just because your child is skinny doesn't mean they're healthy. A responder writes that they knew a family that stocked big macs and froze them because that's all their child ate. For years, he ate that for all his meals. The parents thought all was well since he was skinny until he got scurvy.
6. Letting Your Kids Annoy People
I understand why some restaurants and establishments have a no-children policy. Children can be ungovernable, but it's up to the parents to establish consequences. A waitress remarks that they've worked at many restaurants where the parents allow their kids to run around, scream and do anything they want.
Once, a kid ran into a waiter carrying a tray, and the plates fell. They hit the kid on the head, and the parents were livid. The manager told them they'd have avoided the mess if they kept an eye on their child. He also banned them from the restaurant.
7. Staying in a Loveless Marriage
Staying together in a war zone for the benefit of the kids does more harm than good. It sounds like an honorable intention, but one explains how it impacts a child's mental health. They clarify that the guilt children feel after their parents split disappears when they see their parents are happy.
8. Not Listening to Your Kids
You may have known your kids for their entire life, but that doesn't mean you better understand their life. A commenter adds that they got a long lecture in fifth grade after telling their mother they were depressed. She said there was no way they could be depressed, and that discouraged them from ever opening up.
9. Neglecting Your Child
A former teacher discloses that whenever they suspect neglect when working with infants and mentally disabled children, they mark the bottom of their foot. They use a washable marker, and if the child returns with the mark, they know the child still has the same diaper and their parents haven't bathed them. This is enough evidence to call Child Protective Services and start investigations.
10. Grooming Your Kids for Adulthood
Your child is not your carbon copy. Somebody responds that kids must be their person, make mistakes, and develop good judgment. That's how they build confidence and learn to adapt to the different things that life throws at them. Grooming them takes that away and doesn't prepare them for adulthood.
11. Kicking Your Kids Out
Unless they're criminals, kicking your kids out falls under child abuse. Several people agree it's terrible for parents to kick their kids out when they have nowhere else to go.
12. Shoving a Screen in Their Face
Finally, a user replies that children miss out on real-life experiences as they're always glued to the screen while on trains, buses, at home, or in strollers. They miss out on interacting with their parents and the things that the world offers.
This thread inspired this post.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.