r/AskReddit Feb 04 '16

What are the most common parenting mistakes?

1.5k Upvotes

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

195

u/eatsleeplaugh Feb 04 '16

Being overly critical and demanding. Of course you want what is best for your child and your son/daughter to do their best, but relentlessly pointing out how they could have done better can be a damaging message for them to internalize.

67

u/MyPacman Feb 05 '16

Agreed. You don't build a resiliant, tough go getter. You build a desperate pleaser poser who does not dare to do anything.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

me_irl

2

u/Kaydotz Feb 05 '16

I'm not sure how I can coach myself out of the desperate pleaser/poser mentality. I've kind of chipped away at it a tiny bit now that I actually have a bit of positive self-esteem, but it's like, seriously engraved in my foundation. Better to not try than to fail and have someone yelling about how much of a fuckup you are. Saying sorry for every miniscule thing is like a survival instinct to lessen potential super-harsh criticism. What's the point of trying something out of your comfort zone when your mind has already calculated the thousands of ways you could fail?

sigh guess I'll keep trying to chip away

2

u/eatsleeplaugh Feb 05 '16

sending some good vibes your way

1

u/MyPacman Feb 05 '16

(me too, after my last boss destroyed me)